It was 20,000 Years Ago Today
by cheri1
Summary: 11/Amy/Rory with Paul McCartney. Third in the Turn Me On,Dead Man series. The Doctor takes his companions back in time to the ending of the Ice Age where they find Pepperland and find themselves fighting the Diablon. FINISHED.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is third in the series of Doctor Who/Beatles stories. The first two in the series are Turn Me On, Dead Man and Helter Skelter.

Chapter One

Paul stood in his bedroom in his TARDIS. He was preparing to go on the latest expedition to find a legendary place called Pepperland where the first of the modern humans were born. The Doctor informed them that they were going back approximately 20,000 years to the last ice age and that he would help insulate them against the freezing temperatures but they were to dress warmly anyway. He had thrown a black jumper on over his t-shirt and put on heavy black woolen socks in addition to the blue jeans and his Cuban heel boots he normally wore. He was standing by the bureau, debating whether or not to take his mobile with him. He had already put his IPod on the bureau, fearful something might happen to it but he was wondering if he needed to take his phone just in case something should happen.

"If something does happen to us, I can't ring anyone for help," Paul muttered while he stared at the mobile in his hand. "I don't want it smashed so I think I will leave it behind."

He laid it down beside the IPod before he went into the bathroom and used the toilet and checked to make sure his hairpiece was on straight. He stared at himself in the mirror and smiled when he noticed how healthy he looked. The rigors of being a Beatle and touring had taken their toll on his health. He had recently developed a case of irritable bowel syndrome which forced him to take steroids to combat it. The steroids had made his face look puffy but thanks to the Doctor's medicine, his face was back to it's normal round shape. As he examined himself in the mirror, he noticed Jane come up behind him and he grinned as she slipped her arms around him and laid her head on his back.

"Being vain again?" she teased.

"Always. I'm a Beatle, damn it! I'm God's gift to humanity," Paul teased back. "How dare you imply I'm less than a god?"

Jane chuckled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. She was wearing a bright green sweater that Paul thought went great with her long red hair. She wore heavy blue jeans and black socks.

"So…" Jane said, coming up beside him, "if you're a god, I s'pose I'm your goddess then?"

"That you are, my lovely," he replied before giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Actually, you were a goddess before you became Mrs. McCartney but I figured you knew that already."

Jane laughed while Paul made a big show of adjusting the hairpiece on his head.

"Damn, I miss the whole military man look. It was sexy."

"Sorry, dear, I'm a lover, not a fighter," Paul said, turning to her and wagging his eyebrows.

"I figured that out during our two day honeymoon," she said.

She laughed when Paul leered at her and gave him a tender kiss on the lips. Paul took her hand and they walked out of their bedroom and headed towards the console room. When they reached it, the Doctor was applying a clear salve to Bill's face. They both stopped and stared at him, Rory and Amy. All three of them were bundled up in heavy coats with a fur lined parka that made them look like Eskimos. They all wore heavy trousers that looked like thick leather and on their feet were moccasin-like footwear, also made out of leather. Paul could tell that both Amy and Rory had the salve on their faces because their skin was slightly shiny.

"So this is what we're wearing when we go outdoors?" Paul asked the Doctor as he gestured to Bill's outfit.

"Yes. We're going to approximately the year 22,000 B.C. And at this time the Ice Age was still going on and even in the warmer months, there was heaps of snow and ice and the temperatures were very frigid. In addition to what Bill's wearing, we're going to be wearing special fur lined mittens and snowshoes that are smaller and more streamlined than the ones you've probably seen. The snowshoes I have will provide us with more maneuverability and we'll need it out there since there will be deep snow and large snowdrifts. Hopefully the gate to Pepperland isn't that far from where we land but if it is, we need to be careful and watch out for Neanderthals. They were nearly extinct by 22,000 B.C. but there are still small bands of hunters and I'm sure they won't be friendly if they encounter us. Especially since by this time, Homo sapiens, your species were out and in direct competition with them for hunting and territorial space."

"I thought you said that in the archives the humans lived in Pepperland until the invasion," Bill said.

"I'm sure the majority did but there are always those few intrepid humans who will explore no matter what time period it is. Modern man had been around for a long time by 22,000 B.C. I'm sure by then some humans had ventured out onto Earth and made a living off the land."

"And that's why the Neanderthals went extinct?" Paul said. "Because of us?"

"Partly. Party because at this time the Ice Age was coming to an end and the Neanderthal's bodies were built for snow and cold weather. That's why they never ventured further than Europe or eastern and central Asia. Modern man made it all the way down into Africa which is why you're here and they aren't."

"And supposedly these good aliens experimented on these Neanderthals?" Jane asked.

"According to the archives, yes. They did it with good intentions. They wanted to improve humans and advance them since Neanderthal's were a bit brutish. They were smarter than people give them credit for, have to be smart to survive and thrive in ice and snow year after year, but their brains weren't wired for anything other than survival. There was no imagination or creative thinking and that's what the Andrakians gave you when they combined their genes with yours. They made you lot smarter and gave you better bodies so you could survive in all sorts of environments. It's because of them that you're alive at all."

"And it's because of them that the Diablons found us more attractive as slaves?" Paul said while the Doctor finished applying the salve to Bill's face.

"It's possible," the Doctor said, coming over to him. "It's much easier to control someone if they have a bit of intelligence so yes, the Andrakians experiments could have brought the Diablons to Earth. This salve is designed to protect your face from frostbite. It'll harden and feel a bit like a mask but it'll keep the wind and snow from freezing your face. You and Jane are the last ones. I have your winter gear as well and I'll give it to you after I'm done with this."

While he applied the salve, Martha entered the room and walked over to his master. Paul smiled and petted her while he stood patiently and let the Doctor rub the clear salve on his face.

"There's one thing I don't understand though," Amy said while the Doctor worked.

The Doctor glanced at her.

"And that one thing is…" he said.

"If the Yellow Submarine film is based on the Diablon's history, how come the Beatles are in it and on top of that, they defeat the Blue Meanies who you said might represent them. I can understand if John, George and Ringo were with us and we all stopped them and they put that in the film, but only Paul is here, is history changing again?"

"Not necessarily," the Doctor said, spreading the salve across Paul's forehead. "The Diablons may have wanted the Beatles to do some sort of project and decided on an animated film. The decided the plot would come from their personal history but with the Beatles taking part in the events. And as much as the Diablons hated the Beatles, it wouldn't do for them to release a film where the Beatles end up being captured and enslaved or die in the end, so that's why you lot win."

"So it was basically an inside joke to the Diablons," Rory said.

"I think so, yes. I think a lot of what they forced Bill and the Beatles to do were inside jokes to them," the Doctor replied as he finished with Paul. "Okay, you're finished. Jane?"

Paul stepped back and let Jane come forward. Martha followed him and he stroked her fur while she sat down beside him and panted.

"Apart from us though," Paul said while the Doctor applied the salve to Jane's face, "I wonder how much of that film is true. Besides Pepperland and the Diablon being the Meanies. I wonder if that little guy…Jeremy, I think his name was, is real or the blokes who threw the apples or even the yellow submarine."

"Not sure, but we'll find out when we find the gateway," the Doctor said.

"Did you know about this Pepperland?" Amy asked. "Your people hunted the Diablons, did they know about this hidden world on Earth?"

"There were rumors of it once Earth was known and my people began to study the planet and it's people," the Doctor said, glancing at her. "You see, Neanderthals aren't part of your evolutionary chain. They're more like an offshoot of your species that didn't work. Neanderthals share many genetic traits with homo sapiens but there are also huge differences and it was theorized that the difference came from gene splicing with alien DNA. The alien species responsible for your advanced evolution wasn't known although there were several possibilities and the Andrakians were among the candidates my people selected. So it makes sense that they were the ones responsible for your growth. But during the Ice Age, two types of humans actually shared the planet together until the Neanderthals died out. That's the only time in your planet's history that that's happened. Since then homo sapiens have been the dominant species."

"Must have been a shock for the Neanderthals to run into modern man then," Paul said.

"Oh I wouldn't doubt it, especially since you look nothing like them. They were built for cold weather; they were shorter and stockier with long arms that reached almost to their knees. They had a more prominent brow ridge and they were bow legged. Seeing someone like you must have been like seeing an alien."

"But these…Andrakians," Bill said. "You said they were benevolent but they were taking humans and changing their DNA. For what purpose? Were they trying to do what the Diablons were doing and create slaves?"

"No, no. The Andrakians are benevolent and peaceful. Granted the method might have been objectionable but their intent was to help you evolve to a more intelligent form so you could eventually take your place among the other alien races and become all that you were meant to be. They weren't the only ones, there were others who came and lived among you. One example is the Andromidans who founded Atlantis and Lemuria and traded and lived peacefully with man. Once their civilizations were destroyed through natural disasters, they set sail and landed at various places around the globe and they were the ones who helped humans build the pyramids, Stonehenge, the statues on Easter Island. Not all alien races are evil. There are some who would like to see the Earth become a peaceful, enlightened society so they stop here and help out on occasion. There aren't very many who do because like I said, most species steer clear of Earth but there are those who, like me, are fond of you lot and want to see you grow and evolve. That's why I believe they created Pepperland so that their creations and their progeny could have a safe place to live and flourish."

"And they describe it as an unearthly paradise," Paul said. "So really, we're searching for the actual Garden of Eden then."

"I think so," the Doctor replied as he finished with Jane. "The fall of man could have referred to the Diablons invading and the survivors being forced out into the harsh environment of Earth and it was there that they became fruitful and multiplied. But the Diablons didn't leave after that, they simply colonized the planet along with the humans and started to build their civilization alongside them. But yes, my friends, you are about to go on a quest for Eden."

"Cool," Amy said.

"Well, don't let Piss Off, Pond get around the snake then, otherwise she'll damn us all."

"Shut up, Paul," Amy said while everyone giggled.

Paul turned his head to her and stuck his tongue out. Amy did the same.

"Yup, you can see the maturity level in those two," Rory said to Bill.

Paul walked over to Rory and sniffed him.

"Ugh! You stinky," he said in a goofy voice. "I think it's your BOdorant . Don't you agree, older brother?"

"Yes, definitely his BOdorant ," Bill said while Paul snickered and patted his shoulder.

"Ha ha, very funny," Rory said dryly.

"Thank you; I pride myself on my humor. I have oodles and oodles of wit and whimsy, ask the other Beatles. "

"Hey, Mister Wit and Whimsy, get your moped crashing arse over here and get your fur coat on!" Amy called to him.

"Bill…" Paul said, putting his arm around his shoulders, "I'm your mentor and now I'm gonna teach you how to throttle a woman and make it look like she just tripped and fell. Come, Brother, let's beat the snot outta Pond!"

The Doctor laughed when he and Bill took off after Amy while Martha followed barking wildly. Jane shook her head and looked at the Doctor.

"Unlike my husband, I'm ready to go, where's the winter gear?" she said as Paul and Bill grabbed Amy and tickled her without mercy.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

As Paul and Jane got into their winter gear, they listened while the Doctor showed them the snowshoes and explained how they worked. Paul stared at the moccasins that he was required to wear with distaste. Amy noticed the expression on his face and walked over.

"Hey, they're not bad," Amy said, pointing to the ones on her feet, "they quite comfortable actually."

"It's not that," Paul said.

"Then what is it then?" Amy said.

Paul sighed and Amy watched with confusion as he sat on the floor and took off his shoes. Her eyes bulged when he stood up and her mouth dropped open.

"Wait a tic, did you just shrink in size?" Amy said.

"Yeah, I did. It's because this is my true height," Paul said. "I'm 5'8" which I hate. I hate that I'm so short so…I have lifts put in my shoes so I can be three inches taller than that."

He eyed Amy when she bit her lip and tried to hold back the laughter. Bill walked over to Paul and her eyes bulged. He had been three inches taller before and now he was six inches as he towered over Paul.

"Blimey," Amy said. "Bill's a giant compared to ya."

"I know, I wish I was his height but oh well, can't be helped," Paul said as he sat back down and slipped his moccasins on his feet.

"Oh I wouldn't fret, big brother," Amy said. "You're cute when you're short. You're pocket sized now."

"Do you want me and Bill to give you another throttling?" he asked while she giggled.

"Nope. I'll just mind me own business. See ya later, Paulie Smurf!"

Paul paused while putting on his other moccasin.

"Okay, what the hell is a smurf?" he said while Amy bent over laughing. "And you might as well tell me now because I will find out and if it's something bad, your head's going straight into the loo."

Amy gave him an innocent look while he stood up and shrugged before she turned her back and walked away. Paul shook his head and looked at Bill.

"She's just a glutton for punishment, eh? I…"

Bill frowned when Paul trailed off and studied his face.

"What?" Bill asked.

"You know, ever since you got rid of the glasses and shaved the mustache, I can see the resemblance to me. I can see now why they chose you to replace me," Paul said.

"I don't look like you," Bill insisted.

"You don't look exactly like me but you do resemble an older brother."

"I don't see it," Bill said.

Paul smiled.

"Most people don't see themselves in the same light as others. Trust me, mate, you do have a bit of the McCartney looks to ya. I can see why you won the lookalike contest."

Bill was shocked as Paul walked away. He looked at Rory.

"Really? I really do resemble him?" he said to Rory.

"Yeah. I mean he's right, you do look like his older brother," Rory replied. "Once you got rid of the glasses and mustache you can see it better."

He smiled when Bill beamed at that. Feeling happy, Bill sat down and put the snowshoes on his feet. Once everyone was ready, Paul said goodbye to Martha.

"Don't know when I'll be back but be good," Paul said. "She'll be alright if we're gone for awhile, yeah?" he asked the Doctor.

"Oh yeah, the TARDIS will look after her and take care of her needs, don't worry about her, she'll be fine."

Paul smiled at that and kissed Martha's head.

"You be good and do what the TARDIS says and don't repay her kindness by leaving poo on her floor, okay?"

He pulled his face back when Martha tried to lick his face, fearful that she would lick the salve off his face. The Doctor told him that the TARDIS was instructing him to take her into the back and he led Martha to the back door. They went past it and Paul paused. He was in a dilemma because he knew the moment he let go of Martha's collar she would follow him back out the door.

"Okay, how do I get you to stay back here?" Paul muttered.

Just then there was a flash and a holographic rabbit appeared in front of them. Martha strained at her collar trying to get at it and Paul grinned as he let go and the holographic rabbit bounded away with Martha in hot pursuit. Paul thanked the TARDIS for her help before he went back into the console room. Once they were outside, everyone saw that the TARDIS had landed on top of a large flat rock surface. In every direction was snow and dead trees. Amy walked over to the edge of the rock and tentatively stepped down a few feet onto the snow. She stared at it and stamped her right foot. Her eyebrow rose when she noticed how packed the snow was. She leaned over and tried to scratch the surface with her thick mitten but barely made a dent.

"Come along, Pond," Paul said as he stepped down off the rock along with everyone else, "Quit destroying the beauty of nature and pawing in the snow like a doggie."

Amy quickly pulled off her left glove, scooped up a bit of snow and threw it in his direction. Paul defty dodged the snow and Amy ran while he pulled off his glove and started to do the same thing. Amy put his glove back on while Paul did the same and put his arm around Jane. Amy hurried to Rory's side and he put his arm around her while everyone headed off to the right. The Doctor took off one mitten and used his screwdriver to scan for alien tech while they walked.

"There's definitely something in this direction," he said, pointing straight ahead of them. "Don't know how far right now but there's something alien and I'm betting it's the gateway."

He continued to scan while the others followed him. The wind whipped against their faces but thanks to the salve it was only a minor annoyance even though the temperatures were frigid. All around them were dead trees, some of them buried in drifts so high most of the trunk wasn't visible. Paul looked around and looked down at his wife walking beside him. Feeling happy, he burst into song.

"Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins…" he warbled. "Silently closing the TARDIS door, walking behind Amy who's a total whore."

The Doctor and Rory laughed hysterically while Amy looked behind her shoulder with an incensed look.

"Fuck you, Bro."

"No thanks, I got someone to take care of that," Paul said, patting Jane on the shoulder.

"Geez, you're as bad as John," Amy said, looking straight ahead.

"I know I am, I keep trying to tell you lot that," Paul said. "But very well, I won't sing about how grotty you are. I'll sing about how brilliant my wife is instead."

"You do know there are cavemen about, right?" Amy said.

"Yes and my singing will confuse them and scare them away," Paul said.

Amy looked at Rory.

"No comment," he said while Rory and the Doctor sniggered.

Paul smiled at his wife and sang while she snuggled close to him.

"To lead a better life, I need my love to be here…" he sang. "Here, making each day of the year. Changing my life with a wave of her hand. Nobody can deny that there's something there…"

"This is about Jane?" Amy said, looking back at him.

"Well, yes…"Paul said while Jane giggled. "Why? You think I'm incapable of writing a song for my lover?"

"No, I just didn't realize it was about her."

"Well, it is!" Paul said. "And now that we've cleared that up…There, running my hands through her hair. Both of us thinking how good it can be. Someone is speaking but she doesn't know he's there. I want her everywhere and if she's beside me, I know I need never care…"

"And by the way, I lost most of my hair…" Amy sang back.

"And I'll plant my foot in your derriere, so you better beware!" Paul sang back to her as everyone laughed.

They fell silent for a moment when they suddenly heard an elephant trumpeting in the distance. Everyone looked at each other and followed the sound of the animal. The closer they walked, the more panicked the animal sounded and they began to hear snippets of people's conversation as they yelled back and forth to one another. They finally came to the edge of a precipice and looked down into a valley below where a group of Neanderthals, men, women and children had surrounded a panicked young wooly mammoth. They were trying to jab it with spears tipped with stone points while the juvenile mammoth tried to gore his tormentors with his long tusks and stamp on them with his feet. The Neanderthals would come close and then jump back when the animal attacked them. The Doctor and his companions watched silently on top of the cliff while the Neanderthals tried to get the upper hand in the battle. Then they gasped when the mammoth swung his head and caught a young male with its tusks, goring the man in the side. The man let out an agonized scream and was thrown backwards into a large drift by the force of the blow. He lay there, groaning, blood turning the white snow a pinkish color while the others let out an angry yell and doubled their efforts to spear the enraged beast.

Finally, the four males in the group managed to stick their spears into both sides of the mammoth, penetrating the ribs. The mammoth bellowed in pain and everyone got back while he stampeded the humans, trying to kill them. The Neanderthals let out panicked yells and ran while the mammoth trumpeted angrily and chased them. The Doctor and his companions watched as the cavemen fled and the injured animal kept up the pursuit. They then turned their attention to the injured caveman who was lying in the snowdrift, groaning quietly. They looked back and noticed that the other cavemen were now very far from them, trying to hide and regroup while the mammoth tried to kill them. The Doctor looked around and noticed that off to their right was a little path that led down. He and the others carefully went down it into the valley. By the time they got to the Neanderthal, he had lost a lot of blood and was pale and breathing shallowly. The Doctor reached into his pocket and brought out a small white jar.

"I brought some of that healing salve," he said to his friends. "I figured we might need it here in this hostile environment. But perhaps I can use it to save him."

But as he neared the man, the Neanderthal turned his head to him and his eyes bulged.

"Tall one!" he said in a gruff voice. "Tall one, stay back!"

"Tall one?" Paul said.

"Well, the Doctor is tall compared to him," Jane said.

"Yeah, everyone's tall here except for the smurf," Amy said, gesturing towards Paul.

"If you don't shut your…"

Paul was cut off when the caveman gasped and tried to smack the Doctor's face when he bent over him with the salve.

"No, stay away from me, you're with them! The tall ones! Stay away!" he yelled as he swung his arm around.

Everyone backed up but they could tell that the man's exertions had increased the blood flowing out of his side and the man groaned as he dropped his arm onto his chest and stared up at the sky. The Doctor came forward tentatively.

"Listen, I won't hurt you. I'm not like the other tall ones. I want to help you, okay?"

The man didn't answer and they noticed his eyes were glazing over and becoming fixed. The Doctor walked around to his other side and knelt down as he unscrewed the jar. Everyone watched while he got out a large amount of healing salve and spread it on the wound. There was a second where nothing happened and then the caveman let out an agonized groan as the salve began mending the wound. The Doctor looked around but the other Neanderthals were nowhere in sight although he could hear them in the distance yelling while the mammoth continued to trumpet angrily. The Doctor looked at the man and saw the fear in his eyes when he gazed on him.

"Please, I won't hurt you. I just saved your life," the Doctor said gently. "These are my friends. We come in peace."

"You are outsider," the man said.

"Yes, I s'pose I am but I am not a threat," the Doctor said. "I just mended your side."

The man sat up and examined his side. He felt for the wound and his eyes widened when he couldn't find it. He looked at the Doctor in disbelief.

"How did you do that?" he asked him.

"I used a special medicine that healed your side," the Doctor said, putting the salve back in his pocket. "My friends and I are looking for others like us. Do you know where they are?"

"I don't know," the man said with contempt, "I have no dealings with the tall ones. Me and my clan stay away from them."

"But they are nearby?" the Doctor said.

"Yeah, tall ones nearby. Cause trouble. Take food. We starve because of them. Ogla is with child now and we're forced to hunt the fur beasts because they take everything else."

"I'm sorry," the Doctor said. "I truly am. We're not trying to take food away from you. We're trying to find others of our kind so we can be with them."

The man was about to say something when they heard an angry yell. The Doctor looked over his shoulder and cursed under his breath when he saw the other Neaderthals were hurrying towards them, spears out in front as they prepared to kill the intruders.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"I'm glad the Doctor brought that magic medicine because I have a feeling we're about to need it," Paul said as everyone backed away from the caveman.

"Tall ones!" the Neanderthal in front of the group yelled as they ran towards them. "Kill them!"

"No!" the caveman yelled to his clan. "This one here," he added, pointing to the Doctor, "he healed me."

The Neanderthals slowed their stride but they kept advancing while the Doctor and everyone else backed away from them.

"They're not friends," the leader said as he and his group menaced the Doctor and the others with their spears. "They take everything from us!"

"We're not here to do that," the Doctor said as he and his friends continued to back up away from them, "I healed your clan member. We come in peace. We're looking for others of our kind."

The leader snorted.

"Others of your kind are everywhere!" he roared with fury, "the Tall Ones are everywhere and we can't find peace because they're always trying to kill us! They come through the living trees and hunt everything. We starve because of them!"

"The living trees…" Rory muttered to the others. "Got to be the gateway."

"Yeah, but how we gonna get them to tell us where it is?" Bill said.

"Wait, the Doctor said they have no imagination," Paul said to them.

"Yeah, well they apparently have enough imagination to imagine us killed," Amy said.

Her eyes bulged when Paul hurried past her towards the Doctor. She called his name but he ignored her as he came up beside the Doctor. To their amazement he began to sing Eleanor Rigby. The Doctor grinned when the stunned Neanderthals froze and stared at Paul in confusion.

"I see what he's doing," Jane said. "The Doctor said they can't think of anything creative so they're shocked that Paul's singing to them."

By now, the Doctor was singing with him. The others glanced at each other and came up behind them, singing Eleanor Rigby while the Neanderthals looked on in a stunned silence. When the song was finished, they fell silent and waited for the cavemen to speak. The leader came forward, his spear at his side.

"How you do that? You make sounds like birds," he said in amazement.

"Birds?" Paul said, glancing around at the snowy surroundings. "I'm surprised birds exist here."

"Yes, we make sounds like birds. It's one of the things our kind can do," the Doctor said.

The leader stared at him.

"Who are you? Where did you come from?" he said, shaking his head. "Used to be ones like us now they're dying and more of you come. Where do you live?"

"We live where the living trees are," the Doctor said. "However, we've lost our way. Can you show us where the living trees are?"

"You don't know?" the leader said.

"We've lost our way," the Doctor said. "We need your help."

The leader let out a caustic laugh.

"Our help? You destroy us, why should we help you?"

"Because we helped one of your own," the Doctor said, pointing to the young man.

The Neanderthals looked at him and he showed them where the wound had been.

"They heal me. Don't know how," he said to them as he ran his fingers over the smooth patch of skin which stuck out in the middle of his extremely hairy body. While he was trying to convince the others that they meant them no harm, Paul glanced at the others and noticed that everyone looked alike. The only difference between them was the women had breasts but they were just as hairy and mannish as the men. The three children who were with them looked like miniature versions of the adults. Paul was amazed that they could tell each other apart before he figured that they would think the same of him and his group. His eyes fell on one female near the back whose belly was protruding under her mammoth skin toga and he guessed this was Ogla. His attention turned back to the leader when the man pointed at him.

"How did he make bird sound?" the leader said to the Doctor.

"Our kind can make bird sounds," the Doctor said. "That is what he does in our clan. Makes bird sounds."

Paul grinned when the other companions snickered at that. They fell silent when the cavemen got in a kind of group huddle and debated whether or not to help them.

"Well at least Papa Smurf impressed them enough that they won't kill us now," Amy said.

Paul looked at the Doctor.

"What the hell is a smurf?" he said to him.

The Doctor grinned and explained what it was. Amy laughed when Paul flipped her off when he finished telling him she was basically calling him a very short blue guy.

"Figured it had something to do with height," Paul said to the Doctor while Amy giggled.

The cavemen finished their meeting and turned back towards them.

"We will help you if you help us," the leader said.

"We did help you, we saved him from death," the Doctor said, pointing at the young man.

"But you must help us more. Fur beast is dead; we need help carrying meat back to our cave."

"And if we do this for you, you'll show us where the living trees are?" the Doctor said.

"Yes."

The Doctor sighed and looked at his companions.

"Looks like we have to haul meat back to their cave," he said to them.

They followed the Neanderthals back to the mammoth who was now dead and lying on its side. They held back and watched while the leader and his clan climbed up and onto the mammoth and began to skin it with the stone points of their spears. To their amazement, they took off their mammoth skins and used them for carrying the meat.

"Blimey," Paul said as they stared at their naked, hairy bodies. "I envy them. I can feel the cold through this heavy coat I have on and they're not even fazed."

"I told ya they were designed for cold weather," the Doctor said as they began to carve up the animal and lay the chunks of meat on the inside of their skin clothes.

"Just looking at them like that is making me feel cold," Rory said. "And I have to say it's a good thing we were genetically altered because I don't think I would have liked living my life as a short, hairy…Klingon."

The leader scowled at them and pointed to the skins as he and the others finished filling them up. The Doctor sighed and rolled his eyes as he and his companions came forward. They paired up and used two people to carry the heavy skins. The leader studied them for a moment before letting out a satisfied grunt. He and the others let the Doctor and his group carry the meat while they grabbed their spears and headed back to the cave. The Doctor glowered at them but held his tongue as they walked behind them with the supply of meat. It took them about twenty minutes and a climb back up out of the valley before they saw the opening of a large cave through the swirling snow. The cave was raised up and there were several large rocks in front of it that acted like stepping stones up to it. The Neanderthals went up the stepping stones with no problem but the Doctor cautioned his group and they slowly walked up the slippery stones into the cave. By the time, they got inside; one of the men had the beginnings of a fire, putting some dry moss over a tiny flame he had made. The Doctor and his group laid the skins of meat down by the entrance and looked around. At first they couldn't see anything but as the fire grew larger, the interior was lit up and they noticed that the interior was huge. The Neanderthals eyed them warily while they picked up branches and skewered the meat on them before setting them into the fire. The Doctor and his group kept their distance in case the cavemen changed their minds and decided they might make a nice addition to the meat cooking on the fire. While the men huddled around the fire, the women rested and the three children, two boys and one girl, came over to stare at the strangers in silent awe. The Doctor smiled and waved at them but that only confused the children and they kept on staring.

"Great, now we're gonna be curiosities the whole time we're here," Rory said.

"Are we prisoners?" Bill said. "Are they gonna let us go?"

"They better if they know what's good for them," the Doctor said. "Excuse me!" he yelled.

The cavemen looked at them.

"Yes, can we go now? We're in a hurry," the Doctor said.

"We're hungry. We eat now and you eat too."

"Ah," the Doctor said, staring at the sizzling slabs of meat.

"We eat then we show you the living trees," the leader said.

"Fine but after you eat then you'll show us?" the Doctor said impatiently.

"Nog will, she know the way," the leader said, pointing to a young female who was sitting with Ogla.

Nog gave them a look of contempt.

"Father," she said to the leader. "Get Naka to do it, he can lead the Tall Ones to…"

"Naka is needed here to guard against other Tall Ones. You will go. I am leader of clan, I have spoken!"

Nog snorted softly and glared at the Doctor and his companions.

"Great, we're going to be led by a pissed off Klingon who'll probably shove us off a cliff when she gets a chance," Rory muttered under his breath.

He and his wife and friends began to cough as the cave filled up with smoke from the fire. Paul grimaced and waved his hand back and forth in front of his face, trying to clear the air and keep the smoke from entering his lungs. William sat down beside him and tried to get comfortable on the rocky floor while Paul gave him a sympathetic look.

"I hope Pepperland is the paradise it claims to be," William said to Paul. "Because if it's more rocks and caves, I'm going back to the TARDIS."

"According to the film, it's got green fields and flowers and it's very colorful," Paul replied.

"I sincerely hope so because I'm tired of looking at white snow and grey rocks," Bill replied while Paul chuckled and patted his shoulder.

Paul heard someone coming up on his left and he turned his head to see the children taking tentative steps towards him.

"Can you make the bird sounds again?" the girl asked shyly.

Paul grinned and sang Eleanor Rigby to them. All movement and conversation in the cave stopped and the Doctor noticed that everyone's eyes were riveted on Paul while he sang. Paul got through half of the song and then had a thought.

"Bill, sing with me," he said.

"Huh?" Bill said in shock.

"Come on, mate, if I'm gonna teach ya, gotta know how good a singer you are. Sing with me."

He resumed singing Eleanor Rigby and after a moment's hesitation, Bill joined in. Paul's eyes widened in delight when he heard Bill's singing voice. He stopped singing and smiled.

"So it was you singing those songs. I wondered if it was or other musicians. You definitely will be successful as a solo artist."

"Really? I'm that good?"

The Doctor and his companions nodded in agreement and Paul put his hand on Bill's shoulder when he grinned at that. He looked past his adopted brother to the ones sitting at the fire and near the mouth of the cave and sighed when he noticed them staring at him in silent awe.

"Shame that they didn't have the imagination it took to sing a song," Paul said to everyone. "Must have been dull living here. I mean, look, no cave paintings, no nothing. No wonder they went extinct."

"Imagination and creativity is what allowed homo sapiens to think up ways to adapt to changes in the environment," the Doctor said. "Without that, they kept on doing the same thing they always did and ended up dying off when they couldn't cope with the changes."

Paul stared at the children beside him with a mixture of sadness and pity. The children came forward tentatively and touched his parka and felt the fur jutting out from the inside of it. Paul smiled when they touched his nose and face and squealed in delight at their bravery. Paul took off his left mitten, slowly reached his hand out and took the girl's hand in his. The girl stared at his hand in fascination, taking it in her two hands and studying it while the two boys looked on. The Doctor watched Paul for a moment and then looked at the adults. All of the adults were watching Paul's interaction with the children. Some of them were giving him wary glances but others looked as fascinated as the girl. He wondered what it must have been like for the Neanderthals to meet homo sapiens for the first time and how shocked they must have been to see someone that both resembled them and was different from them at the same time. Paul took his hand away and he smiled when the girl came and sat down beside him without any fear. The two boys stared at her for a moment and they too walked over and sat among the others while the Doctor and his companions smiled warmly at them. They sat together while the meat finished cooking. After it was done, the leader brought over a couple of huge hunks of meat and sat it down in front of them. Then he went back to the fire and the children and everyone else gathered around the fire and ate their meal. The Doctor's group stared at the meat while they debated whether or not to eat it. Finally, the Doctor reached out, pulled up a small strip and ate it while his friends looked on. The Doctor smacked his lips and nodded.

"Not bad. I think it's safe to eat. Better do so because we don't know how far we have to walk and we all need all the calories we can get."

Everyone knelt around the meat and very gingerly peeled off chunks and strips, blowing on the meat before popping it in their mouths. The leader glanced at them and grunted with satisfaction when he saw them eating. He turned back to his own hunk of meat and all of them ate in silence.

Once they were finished, the Doctor and his companions used some of the snow to clean the grease off their hands.

"Okay, can Nog show us where to go now?" he asked the leader.

The leader grunted.

"Nog, show them the living trees," he said to her.

Nog let out a soft sigh but she obeyed her father. But as she was walking towards them, Ogla suddenly let out a pained yell and the Doctor and everyone else froze in shock when her water broke in front of them and she began to go into labor.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"Okay, what do we do?" Paul said as they watched Ogla walking around while she searched for something.

Rory went over to her and gasped when the leader grabbed his spear and thrust it in his face.

"I can help her," he said.

"Rory, get back," the Doctor said as the leader thrust his spear closer to his face. "I know you have some medical training but you're also the enemy to them and I'm sure they don't want you around Ogla when she's giving birth. Step back now!"

Rory nodded and fell back with the others. The leader gave him a wary look while he lowered his spear. Meanwhile Ogla found a stalagmite near the back of the cave. She squatted down while she grabbed hold of it. Everyone watched while she continued her labor and tried to make her child drop out while she pushed and strained. While Paul was watching, he felt someone take his hand and looked down to see the girl smiling up at him while she held his hand. He smiled back and squeezed her hand before he turned his attention back to Ogla. For a couple of hours, she strained and groaned while everyone watched her. The Doctor and his companions eventually sat back down and the girl followed Paul and sat down beside him.

"You have a new friend," Jane teased him.

"I'm just a lovable bastard, I suppose," Paul said with a wink.

He looked at the girl.

"What's your name?" he asked her.

The girl frowned in confusion and Paul pointed to himself.

"Paul," he said, jabbing his finger at his chest.

"Tya," the girl said, imitating the finger jabbing.

"Tya? Nice to meet you," Paul said, taking her hand and shaking it.

The girl giggled at the handshake and smiled up at Paul. Paul took her hand and turned his attention back to Ogla. By now she was nearing the end of the labor and in a few more minutes, the baby slid out onto the ground. The Doctor and his companions gasped when they saw the baby was gasping for air, her skin completely blue with the umbilical cord wrapped around her neck. The Doctor ran to her and let out an angry yell when the leader ran over and thrust his spear in the Doctor's face.

"I can save the baby, let me help!" he said, pointing to the infant.

"No, stay away from her, Tall One!"

"Please, if you just let me…"

He gasped when the leader tried to stab him in the chest with the spear. Glaring at the leader, the Doctor was forced back and watched helplessly as the newborn took her last breath and expired. Everyone watched angrily while the leader poked and prodded the newborn and then declared it dead while the afterbirth slid out of Ogla. The leader picked the newborn up and walked out of the cave with it. The Doctor and his companions watched as he walked over to a rock that was about a hundred feet from the cave, laid the infant on top of the rock and walked back to the cave without a second look back.

"That's it? They're just gonna leave her out there?" Amy said, stunned.

"The Neanderthals have no imagination, remember?" the Doctor told her. "They can't imagine an afterlife so death is just that, death. The only thing he knows is the baby needs to be taken away from the cave so it doesn't rot in here. It's brutal but that's the way their brains are made. They only know this life and nothing else so there's no funeral rites or mourning the dead."

"You could have saved her though," Amy said angrily.

"Yes, I could have but they're mistrustful of us and we have to accept that they wouldn't have let us near the infant and let it die instead. Perhaps now, they'll let Nog lead us to the gateway so we can continue with our quest."

The Doctor walked over to the leader when he came back to the fire and spoke with him about Nog leading them to the gateway. The leader nodded.

"Yes, go. You're not welcome here," the leader said. "Nog, take the Tall Ones to the living trees while we go get more meat from the fur beast."

"Pao," Tya said, tugging at his hand. "I come. I come with you."

"Awww," Amy said. "Paul has a little friend who wants to come with him."

"Um…is it okay if…what was her name?" the Doctor asked Paul.

"She said it was Tya," Paul replied. "Don't know if that's her actual name or not, she may have misunderstood what I was getting at but that's what I'm calling her."

The Doctor nodded. He asked the leader if Tya could come with them. The leader shrugged.

"No matter. Tya go with you. Don't care," he said. "She outsider."

"What do you mean by outsider?" the Doctor said.

"Found her," the leader said. "Tall Ones kill her clan. We take her in but she not one of us. Don't care if she go with you."

The Doctor's eyes flashed anger at that but he held his tongue and nodded. Paul looked down at Tya.

"If the Tall Ones killed your clan, why do you want to go with me? I'm a Tall One."

"That's debatable," Amy muttered.

She winked at him when he eyed her. He smiled in return and looked at Tya.

"Why do you like me?" Paul asked her.

"You nice," Tya said. "You make bird sounds. I like you."

Paul smiled at that and Jane ruffled his hair. Paul took her hand and he and the others walked up to the Doctor. Nog grabbed her spear, looked them over and grunted as she headed out of the cave. The Doctor and his group said goodbye to everyone before they followed Nog. As they walked past the infant, everyone gazed on it with anger that they weren't able to help save the baby's life before they walked on. By now, the snow was beginning to fall and the wind swirled it around. Paul blinked and wiped his eyes when the stinging flakes kept getting in the way of his vision. He looked down at Tya and noticed she wasn't even fazed and marveled at her ability to survive in the ice and snow. He studied her and found that despite her hairy body and permanent brow ridge she was actually a very cute little girl. Tya looked up at him when she felt his stare and smiled.

"Pao," she said happily.

Paul grinned at that and gave her hand a squeeze. Meanwhile, Nog was near the front of the group, using her spear like a staff while she and the others navigated through the snow and snowdrifts. While they walked, Nog glanced at Bill who was walking beside her.

"You taller," she said to him.

Bill gave her a quizzical look.

"Huh?" he said.

"You taller than them," she said, gesturing to the others. "You tall Tall One."

"Oh, yes, I s'pose I am," Bill replied.

"Why you come here?" Nog asked him.

"We're searching for the living trees so we can help our people," Bill said.

"Help do what?" Nog said, tilting her head.

"Help prevent an invasion."

Nog laughed at that.

"They gonna be attacked now? Good!" Nog said. "Now they know what it be like to be attacked."

"That's not the solution," Bill said. "I know your people are getting attacked but you can't wish that on someone else. Violence is never a solution."

Nog studied him while they walked and then she became lost in thought for a moment. Finally, she looked at him.

"You good. I can tell," she said. "You not like Tall Ones who want to kill."

"No, I don't want to kill anyone," Bill said. "I want to help people."

Nog smiled and nodded.

"Yes, you good," she said softly while Bill smiled at that.

Suddenly, they heard yelling and everyone gasped when several homo sapien men ran out from behind several trees and started surrounding them. Unlike the Neanderthals who were barely dressed, the homo sapiens were dressed in thick hide clothes that covered them from head to foot and they were also wearing snowshoes, although theirs were bigger and denser. Their spear points were smaller, thinner and were made more precisely than the Neanderthals. Nog growled as she hefted her spear and started to attack them.

"Wait!" the Doctor said, holding up his hands as he got between them. "Don't anybody move!"

The homo sapiens and Nog froze in surprise. One of the homo sapiens came forward. His face was angular with a prominent jaw. His fur parka hid his hair if he had any and there was a slight scar on his right cheek.

"What's the meaning of this?" the homo sapien said to the Doctor. "Who are you and why are you with the cave dwellers?"

"They're our friends," the Doctor said to him.

The leader looked back at his comrades and all of them sniggered.

"You make friends with beasts?" the leader said.

"No, I make friends with people which is what they are," the Doctor said.

The men laughed at that.

"You're foolish to be friends with them. They're stupid," the leader said.

"They're a lot smarter than you think," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes. "And if you know what's good for you, you won't hurt them."

The leader snorted and looked at his comrades.

"We take them prisoner, all of them. Pepa will be interested in the cave dwellers. You!" the leader said to the Doctor. "You will follow us, all of you, or die!"

"Pepa," the Doctor said. "As in Pepperland?"

The men were surprised.

"Yes, you come from there?" the leader said.

"No, but we're looking for it," the Doctor replied. "This is Nog, she was leading us there."

The men laughed.

"Her? She couldn't lead anything, as stupid as she is. You're lucky you found us. We can take you there."

The Doctor bit back a response to that, figuring that at the moment they needed the homo sapiens help.

"Okay, lead on then," the Doctor said.

"Wise decision. Shaka, Alteri get behind them and make sure they don't run away. You, the leader, you will keep your clan and the beasts from running or you'll die, is that clear?"

"Very…" the Doctor growled.

Shaka and Alteri got behind everyone and the leader indicated that they should move forward with his spear. He started walking and everyone followed him while he led the way to Pepperland.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

The little group trudged on through the snow towards the gateway to Pepperland. The snow had increased and it was getting harder to see, from the wind whipping the snow around and the snow getting in their faces and eyes. The Doctor noticed the homo sapiens were struggling to keep upright and walk on the snow verses Nog and Tya who were walking along without any problems. He smirked every time the homo sapiens suddenly felt the need to say something else insulting to the Neanderthals. He wondered if they knew how useless they were in this snowy environment and felt the need to belittle their distant cousins in order to make themselves feel better and more superior. The Doctor glanced back when he heard Paul singing and smiled when he noticed he was singing Yesterday to Tya who was listening to him in an enraptured silence. The Doctor slowed his pace and let himself catch up to Paul before he resumed his normal speed.

"Hello, man who makes bird sounds," he said to Paul.

Paul chuckled.

"Ah yes, Tya here asked if I could make more bird sounds and I'm a bit bored from walking through all this snow so I thought I'd oblige her. She's a sweet girl. And she's not stupid, despite what they think," Paul said, nodding his head toward the homo sapiens.

"No, she's extremely smart," the Doctor said, tickling her under the chin while Tya giggled, "like I said, gotta have some intelligence to exist eons in a snowy, hostile environment. I have to say they're faring much better than the homo sapiens are."

"Yes, I noticed that," Paul said. "So much for thinking yourself superior when you're struggling to walk through the snow. I just wonder what they're going to do with Tya and Nog when we get to Pepperland. Are they going to kill them?"

"Dunno, but they better not try if they know what's good for them. Just keep Tya close to you."

Paul nodded. He glanced at Bill and smiled when he noticed he was carrying on a conversation with Nog while they walked.

"Looks like I'm not the only one to make friends," Paul said, pointing to Bill with his free hand.

"Yes, I'm glad she's decided to trust at least one of us," the Doctor said.

"Or…maybe Bill has a new girlfriend."

"Now, now, none of your cheek, McCartney," the Doctor teased while Paul sniggered.

"Well, he is s'posed to marry Linda but that was back when he was brainwashed. Suppose he doesn't want Linda now?" Paul said.

"And he would want Nog instead?" the Doctor said.

"Hey, I've dated hairier women in my time."

The Doctor swatted his head while Paul giggled. The Doctor looked down at Tya who was staring at him.

"Hello," Tya said.

"Hi," the Doctor said while Paul and Jane laughed. "You're very friendly."

"You make bird sounds too?" Tya said to him.

"Are you kidding? I make lovely bird sounds!" the Doctor said.

"Oh dear God, don't sing!" Amy said.

"Shut your gob, Pond!" the Doctor said while Amy, Rory, Paul and Jane laughed.

Suddenly the leader of the homo sapiens stopped everyone. Just ahead through the swirling snow, they saw six metal poles and the Doctor's hearts raced. Everyone walked towards them slowly and as they came closer, the Doctor saw men's faces etched into the poles near the top of them. The pole closest to them had an empty space that was square shaped. While they gathered around the poles, the leader reached into his skin coat and pulled out a metallic cube hanging on a piece of rawhide. They watched while he inserted the cube into the square hole. It was a perfect fit and the Doctor guessed it activated the doorway because as soon as he inserted it, the eyes of the carved men glowed with a white light and the tops of them began to extend out and up. The Doctor and his companions stood in silent awe watching as the metal extensions arched out and connected with each other. There was a shimmer in the doorway made by the metal poles and suddenly they could see through the gate into a lush green world. They saw other homo sapiens walking and talking, the men dressed in white togas and the women in long white diaphanous gowns that showed a hint of their bodies beneath them. All the humans resembled them.

As they walked through the gate, they looked around and noticed some similarities between this Pepperland and the one in the cartoon. There were colorful flowers growing everywhere and there were many statues scattered around the area. There was even the word Love carved out in stone that sat off in the distance. In the far distance was a large stone pyramid and sitting atop it was a spaceship, a spaceship that was submarine shaped.

"Oh my God, the Yellow Submarine," Amy said, pointing to it. "It exists!"

"It looks like a space skimmer," the Doctor said, studying it. "But if it belongs to the Andrakians, it's something I've never seen before. Perhaps it's a prototype."

"You really know how to ruin a moment, don't ya?" Amy said while the other companions laughed.

"I'm merely pointing out that it's not an actual submarine, it's a space ship and…"

He trailed off when the leader of the homo sapiens walked over to Paul. Paul got in front of Tya when he noticed he had his eyes on her.

"Back off, mate," Paul growled at him.

Jane gasped when the man hit Paul in the gut with the butt of his staff. The Doctor snarled and started to run towards him but the man turned his spear and stuck it in his face while Paul held his stomach and gasped for air. Jane held onto him and her eyes widened in horror when two men grabbed Tya at the same time two others grabbed Nog and began to pull them away.

"Pao!" Tya cried out as one of them picked her up and took her away.

Paul let out an enraged yell and started after her but the man's friend put his spear in his face.

"Where are you taking them?" he said, pointing to the men carrying away Tya and Nog.

"We're taking them to Pepa, he'll want to see them."

"Then take us to Pepa as well," the Doctor said.

Paul stared at Tya in silent anguish as she looked over her captor's shoulder and cried out, "Pao! Pao!" He tried to go after her again and the man thrust his spear in his face until the tip was barely inches from his nose. The Doctor put a hand on Paul's shoulder and stopped him when he saw that his friend looked about ready to deck the sneering homo sapien who he guessed was daring Paul to try something. His hearts ached when he saw Paul looking at Tya with a heartbreaking look on his face and he knew that the little girl had stolen away Paul's heart and he was determined to see that Tya and Nog came to no harm. He walked over to the man and pushed the spear away from Paul's face.

"Take us to see Pepa," he demanded. "We want to speak to him now!"

"Shaka, go and tell Pepa we have someone who wants to speak to him," the leader said.

"Yes, Gorno," Shaka said before he ran off.

Gorno turned his attention back to the captives.

"So is this why the Neanderthals are going extinct?" Rory asked him. "Not only are you killing them, you're kidnapping them and bringing them here as well."

"Pepa makes the beasts into us," Gorno said smugly. "It's better for them."

Jane sucked in her breath while Paul's eyes bulged. He narrowed his eyes and approached Gorno.

"So that's where you took them? You're gonna muck with their bodies and change them?" he said angrily.

"I don't know, Pepa will look them over but more than likely he will improve them," Gorno said.

"So, you're no better than the Diablons then," Bill said with disgust. "You lot are doing what they did. Changing people when it suits you."

Gorno gave him a confused look and the Doctor knew he had no idea what Bill was talking about. He agreed with Bill. He knew that the Andrakians were trying to help the human race by interbreeding and genetically improving the humans with their genes but he had no clue they were changing Neanderthals who had already been born and it made him angry that they were altering the DNA of the cavemen against their will. While they stood there, Shaka ran back to Gorno.

"Pepa will see them," he said.

"Very well, come with us," Gorno said.

"Good. Because I have a few things to say to Pepa," the Doctor muttered as he and the others followed their captors.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The leader led the group across a lush green field to what looked like a stone platform. Paul raised his eyebrow and looked at the Doctor.

"Wasn't that in the film? It was where the duplicate band played when the Beatles freed them? Had the blue glass ball around them?"

"Yes, I think so," the Doctor said. "It's amazing how many things they managed to duplicate in the film. The whole place looks like it does in the film."

"So…I wonder if there's a Jeremy here?" Paul said to him. "Except they met him outside of Pepperland so perhaps not."

The Doctor chuckled.

"It's too bad you don't look like you did in the film with the wacky outfit and the Egyptian eyes," he said.

"Wait a moment, that wasn't me, that was Bill!" Paul said while the Doctor giggled.

Bill looked back at them.

"What's me?" he asked.

Paul told him and Bill rolled his eyes.

"No thanks, I'd rather not look like an LSD induced nightmare," he said while his friends and family laughed.

Gorno glared at them when they laughed and the Doctor glared back. Gorno snorted and look straight ahead. He led all of them up the stairs onto the stone platform and the Doctor saw that the top of the platform was made of metal. His eyes widened when he realized what it was.

"Wait a tic, this is a teleporter," he said seconds before all of them were surrounded by a bright light and teleported away.

Seconds later, everyone was inside a large white room. Everyone except the homo sapiens swayed unsteadily for a moment while they tried to get their bearings. Once they adjusted to the effects of teleportation they looked around. The teleporter was up on another stone platform and the room was bare except for a wooden door directly in front of the steps. Gorno urged them forward and he waited until everyone was down before he stepped down, walked over and opened the door. There was a strong smell of sulfur as they stepped into someone's laboratory. There were several metal tables with chemicals, Bunsen burners and different liquids in test tubes. Along the far wall was a wooden door and beside the door were three large metal tubes that were attached to metal platforms. The tubes each had doors in them that were currently closed and several wires running between them and going over to a console that was beside them. Beside the console was a counter with books, test tubes and chemicals on it and above that was a row of cabinets.

"Gee, where's Frankenstein?" Rory said dryly while they looked around.

The door beside the tubes entered and a tall, slender alien entered wearing a lab coat, white trousers and white slippers. He looked like a human except he was paler than a normal man with slightly larger eyes and a larger nose. His hair reached down to his shoulders and was pale blonde. His green eyes looked the newcomers over while he closed the door.

"So these are the humans you found outside the gate?" he said to Gorno.

"Yes, Pepa. They and the beasts were found wandering around in the snow."

"Uh no, we weren't wandering around like gormless idiots," the Doctor said. "We were on our way here when this lot ambushed and captured us."

Pepa studied him intently for a moment.

"You aren't like the others," he said, gesturing to his companions.

"No, I'm a Time Lord."

Pepa was shocked.

"Really? I was led to believe the Time Lords never ventured away from Gallifrey, that they just sat around and acted like pompous fools."

The Doctor coughed when his companions gave him curious stares.

"I'm not like other Time Lords," he said, ignoring the stares of his friends, "I make it my duty to go out into the universe and help fight evil wherever it may be."

"I see. So what brings you here and with a bunch of humans, I assume these are humans," Pepa said, gesturing to his friends.

"They are. They are from the future."

"So my experiments were a success?" Pepa said, overjoyed. "Do they spread across the planet then?"

"Yes, they flourish and multiply, a bit too well in fact, in their time the Earth is overpopulated."

"And the others, the ones who live in caves? Are they alive during their time?"

"No," the Doctor said, forcing himself to remain calm, "they become extinct and homo sapiens become the dominant species."

"Excellent!" Pepa said. "So tell me, what marvels have the humans achieved? You must tell me."

"First you must tell us what happened to our friends, Nog and Tya, where did you take them?" the Doctor said.

"The cave dwellers? I put them in the transformer tubes here and altered their DNA, they're now homo sapiens."

Everyone gasped at that.

"You had no right to do that!" the Doctor snarled at him. "It's one thing to artificially inseminate Neanderthal with a mixture of their and your DNA but to actively change them when they've already been born is unconscionable! Nog and Tya are living beings with free will, not playthings that you can alter for you amusement! Where are they? Let us see them!"

Pepa glared at the Doctor but said nothing as he beckoned everyone to follow him. He went through the door into the next room and they gasped when they saw Tya and Nog lying unconscious on metal tables. Both of them looked completely human and both of them were now slender, hairless with shorter arms and a height gain of one foot for Tya and Two feet for Nog. Their hair which had been coarse and matted with dirt was now finer and longer with a silky sheen to them. Both of them were dressed in the gowns the other females were wearing. Paul and Jane ran to Tya while the others ran to Nog.

"Oh God," Paul said as he gathered Tya into his arms. "What did you do to them? Wake them up!"

"Very well," Pepa said.

He walked over to a cabinet and opened it. While he was doing that, Bill walked to Paul's side and stared down at Tya with disgust on his face.

"Why is it everywhere we go, there's always someone who's bound and determined to change someone into something else," he said to Paul while Paul sighed and nodded. "They're no better than the Diablons, benevolent intentions or not."

Pepa brought over a small spray bottle. He spray a pale mist in Tya's face before he did the same to Nog. They watched while Tya scrunched up her face and opened her eyes. She stared up at Paul for a moment before grinning.

"Paul," she said happily.

Paul was shocked when he heard her pronounce the L in his name without any trouble. He sat her down on the table so she was sitting up and Jane rubbed her back while the three of them examined her. They glanced over when they heard Nog panicking and the others trying to calm her down while Pepa watched with an air of detachment. Bill walked over to Nog and the moment she saw him, she calmed down.

"What's going on? Where am I?" Nog asked.

The Doctor sighed and started to explain to her what happened while Tya got up on the table and hugged Paul. Paul put his arms around her and supported her while he walked away from the table with Jane. He held Tya close to him while they walked around to Nog who was examining her body with a mixture of shock and horror.

"I'm a Tall One now?" Nog said horrified.

"You're like the homo sapiens now, my dear," Pepa said, coming up to her. "Now you have more intelligence and you can be creative and imagine things."

"She can also damage her ecosystem more easily since intelligence tends to suppress instinct including the instinct to naturally coexist with her surroundings. She can also hate more easily and see prejudices and faults in others. You may think you improved these people but eventually there will be war, pollution, racism, poverty and cruelty on this planet and part of that is due to man evolving into a thinking, imagining creature. So I fail to see how changing them from Neanderthals to modern man has done them any good."

"They are now more advanced than they were before," Pepa said angrily. "The planet is thawing out, the ice age is ending and when that happens, the Neanderthals will die out since their brains and bodies aren't capable of adapting. I've just given these two a chance at a long, full life where they can flourish and survive. If that makes me a monster, then so be it. I see now that our people were correct about the Time Lords. You may have ventured away from Gallifrey but you brought your pompous mindset with you. You have no idea what this planet is like."

"Ooooh, I believe I do know. I've made it my personal mission to protect Earth and I've lived among the humans so I think I know more about them than you."

Paul frowned. He suddenly noticed Pepa staring at the Doctor with a weird look in his eyes, as if he suddenly became interested in him. Paul was about to say something when the lab door opened and another Andrakian stuck his head inside.

"Sergeant, you're needed. It's urgent," the alien said.

"Sergeant?" Amy muttered to Rory, "Sergeant Pepa? No way."

Paul heard her and came forward to stand beside the Doctor.

"You're in the military? I thought you were a scientist?" he said.

"I'm both, actually. All our kind are required to go through military training at a young age. I also went to an Academy and learned genetics and interplanetary biology and got a degree in each."

"I thought the Doctor said you're a peaceful race though," Paul said.

"We are, but we're not fools. There are others in the universe who would invade us if they got the chance. Our training is merely for defense. Now if you'll excuse me…"

Pepa walked over to the door and the other alien stepped aside and let him pass. The alien closed the door and the Doctor looked at everyone.

"Apparently my people were not told of the full extent of the Andrakians participation. The forced conversions are a complete surprise to me," he said to them. "And I agree with Bill, in that regard, they are no better than the Diablons."

"Doctor, Pepa was giving you an odd look before he left," Paul said. "Like he was suddenly interested in you. You don't think he might try something with you and do to you what he did to Tya and Nog."

"I don't know but I think it best we get out of here and get outside before that happens. He could very well run experiments on all of you seeing as how you're from the future and I'm sure he'll want to know what changes have occurred in your bodies and minds. Follow me and we'll go back to the teleportation room."

They walked over to the door and tried it. The Doctor cursed and started to take his screwdriver out of his pocket when suddenly purple gas began to quickly spew out of the ventilaton system. Everyone began to cough and tried to get away from it but the gas filled the room in seconds and everyone slowly fell to the floor unconscious. The gas was allowed to linger in the room before the ventilation was reversed and it was sucked out of the room. Once that happened, the door opened and Pepa came in with the other alien.

"Take the Time Lord; he's the only one I want for the moment. I wanna try an experiment on him," he said to the alien assistant. "Hurry, we don't have much time now before the invasion begins."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Once they were fully awake and aware that the Doctor was no longer with them, the humans tried to open the door. Bill and Rory pounded on it and screamed for someone to open it.

"HEY!" Rory screamed. "OPEN THE DOOR! YOU CAN'T KEEP US HERE! WHAT DID YOU DO TO THE DOCTOR?"

They pounded for a few minutes more and then backed away from the door.

"What's going on?" Nog asked.

"I think we're being held captive," Bill said to her.

"Are they going to kill us?" Nog said in alarm.

"Not if we can help it," Amy said with a determined look on her face. "Anyone here know how to pick a lock?" she added, pointing to the door lock.

"Um, I might be able to if we can find something," Paul said.

"Heh, why am I not surprised that you might have lock picking experience?" Amy said.

"Told ya before, Pond. There are lots of things you don't know about me," Paul said over his shoulder as he walked over to the cabinets.

"Tya followed him and Paul chuckled as she walked beside him while he searched the cabinets for something to pick the lock. Amy came up beside Jane.

"Tya is so cute,"she said softly to her while Paul searched.

"I know. I love how she's grown to trust him and follows him around," Jane whispered back.

"Are you gonna adopt her?" Amy asked softly.

Jane's eyes widened and then she stared at Tya while she thought that over.

"I mean, she has no one. They said that homo sapiens killed her clan and she's an orphan. She needs someone," Amy said softly.

Jane stared at Tya who was looking up at Paul with adoration in her eyes while he searched through a cabinet. Jane hadn't considered adopting the former Neanderthal but now, looking at her, she felt love swell in her heart and suddenly the thought of being Tya's mother filled her with excitement. She wondered if Paul felt the same way and she made a mental note to ask him about it when they were in a safe environment.

Paul finished searching the cabinets and drawers and shook his head as he closed the last one.

"Nothing. I can't find anything suitable," he said glumly. "S'pose we'll have till someone opens the door. Bollocks. Now the Doctor's in trouble and…"

He trailed off when he heard someone opening the door. Everyone prepared to rush the aliens but they were stopped when one came in with a blaster pointed at their heads. Bill took Nog's arm and backed her up along with everyone else while two other Andrakians brought someone into the room. He was tall and thin with brown tousled hair. He was unconscious and dressed in the white toga the male homo sapiens wore. Everyone watched while the aliens lowered him to the floor and walked back out. The one with the blaster backed out of the room while he kept the blaster aimed at the captives.

"Wait, what about the Doctor?" Rory asked.

The alien didn't answer, merely slammed the door and locked it after he was done. Everyone came forward and looked at the man who was lying prone at their feet.

"Who's this?" Amy said. "Someone else they brought in and changed?"

She leaned over and shook the man's shoulder. She did that for a minute and then leaned back up when the man groaned and slowly moved his head from side to side. They watched while he slowly opened his eyes and blinked twice before he looked at everyone.

"Hullo, I'm back then?" he said in a groggy voice.

Everyone frowned.

"Back from where?" Rory asked.

"Here? I'm in the lab, aren't I?" he said in the groggy voice.

"Um…you were never in the lab," Rory said. "We've never seen you before in our lives."

"Yes, you have, Rory. It's me!" the man said annoyed.

Everyone glanced at each other.

"Uh…me who?" Rory said.

The man sighed and got to his feet. He wobbled unsteadily for a moment and then waved everyone away when he grabbed the edge of the table and got his balance.

"Me who?" he said to Rory. "I'm the Doctor. Don't you know me when you see me?"

He looked around at all the faces of the adults who were staring at him in complete confusion. He looked at Paul who was giving him an odd look.

"Paul! It's me! Don't you recog…"

He trailed off when he finally noticed his voice had changed.

"Wait a tic," he murmured while everyone stared at him in silent confusion.

He spun around and looked down at the metal table, staring at his reflection. His mouth dropped open.

"No," he said in a hushed voice, "it can't be…"

"Are you alright?" Amy asked him.

He turned to face them and they gave him another odd look when he began to feel all over his face and run his hands through his hair.

"No, no, no, no…" he said.

"What? What's going on?" Amy asked.

The man pushed past them and ran over to a counter. He began opening and closing drawers and pulled out a small black flat disc. He put is against his chest and pushed a small black button while everyone else gathered around him and watched. There was a little beep and the man took the disc away from his chest and read the results of his scan on a tiny screen on top of it.

"One heart…oh no…"

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

The man looked at her.

"I'm the Doctor, Amy."

"No, you're not, you look nothing like the Doctor," Amy said.

"That's because I've somehow been regressed back to my previous life," the Doctor said. "They did something to me to now only make me go back to my former body but also give me one heart like a human."

"I don't understand," Paul said. "What do you mean former body?"

The Doctor gave them a quick explanation and everyone listened in a stunned silence.

"You mean you can have more than one body?" Amy said when he finished.

"Yes, that's how I manage to keep myself young when I'm 907."

"907?" Bill said. "You're 907?"

"Yes, I am and I was a Time Lord, but now I'm human. He did something to me to make me human like he made Nog and Tya human and now if they kill me, I can't regenerate, I'll just die like you would."

"Then what do we do?" Amy asked.

"First, we need to get out of here," the Doctor said.

"We tried that. It's locked and we can't find anything to open the door with," Rory said.

"Then…we wait."

"Okay…Doctor, how long do you think we'll have to wait?" Rory asked him.

"For as long as it takes them to open the door," the Doctor replied.

Everyone looked at each other while the Doctor shrugged.

"I'm sorry, Rory, unfortunately they put me in a toga and I don't have any pockets so that means no screwdriver and…"

He trailed off when they heard the door opening. All of them got in front of it, tensing themselves for a fight. The alien with the blaster opened the door and pointed the blaster at them.

"You will come with me, Pepa wishes to speak with all of you. It's an emergency," he said.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

They followed the alien while he led them through the building. They walked through a few more labs and some offices but they didn't see anyone else. The Doctor was still a bit groggy but he was recovering rapidly and he was looking around at everything with curiosity. Occasionally trying to ask the alien about some alien device. The alien ignored him and everyone else as he led them to where Pepa was at. He finally led them to one closed door and stopped them. To their amazement, they heard the Doctor's voice coming from the other side of it, screaming about how he had no right to muck with his DNA and demanding to know what Pepa had done to him.

"Wait," Paul said, "that's the Doctor's voice. Then who's this?" he added, pointing to the Tenth Doctor.

"I'm the Doctor," Ten said.

"No, that voice behind the door is the Doctor," Paul said, pointing to the door. "Who are you really?"

"Honestly, Paul, sometimes you just need to suspend your disbelief for a moment and listen," Ten said as the alien opened the door and stuck his head inside to announce they were there.

The alien grunted as he was shoved out of the way and the Eleventh Doctor stepped outside. He did a double take when he saw the Ten. Ten stared back at him calmly. Eleven's mouth dropped open and before anyone could say anything, he had run back inside ranting and raving again about mucking with his DNA.

"Excuuuse me!" Ten said, breezing past the stunned alien as he walked into the room.

The others followed him and they saw their Doctor yelling and screaming at Pepa while he pointed to the Tenth Doctor.

"You made another me without my permission!" he yelled at Pepa.

"There's no need to scream," Ten said. "Calm down!"

Eleven spun around and stomped over to him.

"Calm down? You have my memories, yes? You do remember the last time this happened, right? The clone and all the trouble he caused?'

His companions glanced at one another while Ten folded his arms over his chest.

"I'm not the same as that clone," he said indignantly.

"No, course not. You're all human instead of half, there's the difference between you and the other one!" Eleven snarled at him before he turned his attention back to Pepa.

"I've had quite enough of your meddling," he said to him. "It's one thing to alter the DNA of Neanderthals but to make a human…thing out of me…you've gone too far and I'll…"

Everyone gasped when they heard a faint boom and the faint sounds of people screaming.

"The attack has begun," Pepa said in a cold tone of voice to Eleven, "the Diablons have found us. I thought we could use the extra help, two Time Lords instead of one which is why I made your duplicate. Granted, I had to figure out which DNA strands to use when I made him and I accidentally made him in the likeness of your former life but he still possesses the same intelligence and memories you have…now, would you like to argue some more or do you want to help stop the attack?"

Eleven glowered at Ten.

"You will stay out of trouble," he said to Ten.

Ten snorted.

"Don't worry, mummy, I won't commit genocide," he said.

Eleven rolled his eyes while Ten stuck his tongue out at him the moment his back was turned. Eleven, ignoring him, asked Pepa what he wanted them to do and Pepa beckoned to them. While they followed him, Amy glanced at Ten who was glaring silently at Eleven while they walked and looked at the others.

"I hate when I don't know what's going on," she mouthed to the others who nodded in agreement.

They reached some metal stairs and Pepa walked up them. The others followed and halfway up the metal steps changed to stone. As they climbed, they heard the booming sounds and the sounds of people shrieking in the distance.

"Could we hurry up in case people are dying out there?" Eleven said impatiently.

"There are a lot of steps up to the warship, be patient," Pepa said to him.

"Where are we?" Paul said, looking at the narrow stone walls on either side of him. "Is this some sort of tomb?"

"Did you see the pyramid when you first came in?" Pepa said. "We're climbing up to the top to the yellow warship on top."

"You mean, the Yellow Submarine," Amy said. "We're going up to the Yellow Submarine?"

Pepa gave her an odd look.

"Yellow Submarine?" he said, confused.

"Never mind," Eleven said. "Just take us up to it."

They reached the top of the steps and Pepa pulled a small remote control out of his pocket. He pressed a button and all of them vanished and reappeared inside the warship. Pepa gave them a sheepish look when they looked around in a stunned silence.

"Sorry, the teleport for the ship has a limited range so I needed to get you close enough for it to work properly," Pepa said. "Now, follow me and we'll go to the control room."

Paul noticed as they walked along that the interior resembled the submarine's interior in the cartoon. He looked at Jane who was holding Tya's hand.

"Cor, they really did their homework," Paul said to her, "they must have taken detailed notes and handed them down if the Diablons were able to copy all this."

"Datachips, I expect," Ten said to him.

Paul studied him while Pepa walked up to the control panel at the front of the ship and parted the blast shield covering the windows.

"What he did to you…is it sorta what they were planning to do with me and Bill. Are you a replacement?"

Ten stared at him with wide eyes.

"I hope not," he said. "No one can replace me!"

"No one's getting replaced," Eleven said over his shoulder as he sat down beside Pepa in the chairs in front of the console. "I'm the one in charge here; he's just a human copy of me."

Ten snorted at that and rolled his eyes which made Paul chuckle. Ten looked down and smiled at Tya when she walked over and took his hand.

"You are a very friendly person, I like that," he said as he picked her up and all of them walked up to the window.

Pepa took the ship up off the pyramid while everyone watched. On the ground below, they could see several Diablons shooting at the panicking humans with laser blasters. Paul sighed angrily and glanced at Bill as he came up beside him.

"If it's a small consolation, at least they don't know who you are here so they won't be baying for your blood," Bill said.

"Yes, that's really the only good thing about this whole situation," Paul said. "I just hope we can wipe them out today or at least discourage…"

He and Bill gasped when Pepa hit a button and a large laser blast shot out from the front of the warship and hit the ground in front of several Diablons. The Diablons scattered and ran in all directions. Eleven pursed his lips while he watched Pepa trying to hit the panicking aliens with his laser.

"No, don't kill them. Capture them!" Eleven said to him.

"Yes, we can't resort to their tactics!" Ten agreed.

"Do you mind? I'll handle this," Eleven said in an annoyed voice to Ten who had walked up behind his chair.

"I'm merely agreeing with you," Ten said.

He looked down when Tya came up beside him and caught her when the ship suddenly shuddered and she nearly fell to the floor. Jane ran up and took Tya from him.

"Hey, is there somewhere on this ship where we can keep Tya and Nog? They don't need to be in the middle of all this," Jane said to Pepa while he continued firing at the Diablons.

"There are sleeping quarters but I have no time to show you where they are," Pepa said while he continued to scatter the Diablons.

"Where is it then? I can take them," Ten said.

Pepa gave him directions to the sleeping quarters. Bill took Nog's hand and Jane picked Tya up while Paul walked beside her. While they were walking, Ten looked down at his toga and made a face.

"Blimey, no wonder I'm freezing. I need a proper set of clothes," he said.

They gasped and Ten grabbed Jane to pretend her from toppling over with Tya when something hit the ship and it rocked violently. Jane soothed Tya when she began to cry.

"Sounds like the Diablon are attacking us now," Ten said. "Hope this submariney ship is stable."

"Paul!" Tya sobbed, reaching out for him.

Jane transferred her to Paul and he held her close. They reached the sleeping quarters. The entraced was a hatch in the floor. Everyone backed up against the wall except for Ten who grabbed the metal wheel that served as the lock and spun it around to open the hatch. He lifted it open and let everyone else go down one by one. He took Tya from Paul and soothed her when Paul went down the hatch. Then he knelt down and slowly lifted her down so Paul could take her, once she was safe in his arms, Ten went in and closed the hatch door. The sleeping quarters had platforms built into the wall that were made of a crystalline material. There were nine platforms and at the foot of each one a blue blanket and pillow was folded neatly. Paul put Tya on a platform that was at his chest level and she sat with her legs dangling over the edge of the platform while she looked around.

"So now what do we do?" Paul asked Ten. "Are we just gonna keep blasting the Diablons until they surrender?"

"Unless Pepa has something else up his sleeve," Ten said with a shrug. "I have my other self's memories and I retained the things he read about this place but to be honest, we didn't know about this Pepperland until we read the history. There's so much history concerning the dark times that even we had no idea of this place or the invasion of the Diablon at this stage."

They gasped and Tya cried when something hit the ship again and it rocked violently. Bill noticed Nog was terrified and he put his arms around her and sat her down on bottom platform while he tried to calm her down. Ten paced around while Paul and Jane soothed Tya.

"Hate this, hate not being the one in control," Ten muttered while he paced, "there has to be a solution. Even if I'm a human, I still have my Time Lord intelligence. Fez Boy isn't the only one who can help out. They can't just blast the Diablons into submission, that's what Fez Boy accused his clone of doing."

"What do you mean, his clone?" Jane said. "You?"

"No, no, there was another a few years ago," Ten said. "He was half Time Lord, half Human; I'm all human like you are. This other Doctor caused a genocide of a race called the Daleks and the Doctor punished him by sending him to another universe."

"Another universe?" Bill said. "There is more than one?"

"Oh, Bill, there are countless universes, so many no one knows how many there are," Ten said. "They are parallel to one another, separated only by a nothing space called The Void."

They gasped when something else hit the ship and the ship rocked so hard Tya slid off the bed. She cried as Paul tried to catch her.

"I s'pose we'll have to sit on the floor," Paul said to them as he and Tya sat down on the metal floor.

Jane sat down next to him along with everyone else except for the Doctor.

"Blast, I'm gonna go up and see if I can help, if Fez Boy don't like it, tough. I'm not gonna stay down here while people are dying. You lot stay down here and I'll be back as soon as I can."

Everyone watched while Ten went up and through the hatch. He put the hatch down and went away without locking it. Paul sighed and leaned back against the platform.

"I s'pose they'll come and get us when we're needed," Paul said to the others. "I agree with the Doctor, that Doctor, I feel useless just sitting here doing nothing while a war is going on."

Tya stood up and kissed his cheek.

"Okay, now I feel useless and loved," he said while Jane laughed.

Jane watched Paul hug Tya and kiss her on the cheek. She leaned into his ear.

"Amy wondered if we were going to adopt her," she whispered.

Paul's eyes went wide and he looked at Jane.

"Do you want to?" he said while Bill watched and listened.

"Do you?" she countered.

"Wouldn't mind it. I like Tya," Paul said. "And she needs someone now. So, why not?"

"What are you on about?" Bill asked.

"Amy asked us if we were planning to adopt Tya," Jane said to him.

"I think you should. She obviously likes you and I think you'd be great parents," Bill said.

Jane looked down at Tya who was watching her quietly. She put her arm around her.

"Tya, would you like for me and Paul to be your mummy and daddy?" she asked her.

"What's that mean?" Tya asked.

"Your parents, love, your father and mother, would you like to be our daughter?" Paul said.

Tya stared at him for a moment and then smiled as she nodded. Bill grinned as Jane and Paul gave her both hugs. Suddenly, there was another loud boom and everyone gasped as the impact made them fall sideways to the floor. Then a few seconds after it, they felt the ship began to descend rapidly. All of them looked at each other in fear when they felt how fast the ship was heading towards the ground.

"Oh bugger," Paul said, "everyone brace yourselves. I think we're gonna crash!"


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

Eleven sighed angrily when the ship started towards the ground.

"Now see, if you'd just listen to me and held off on the bombardment, we wouldn't be crashing now!" he said angrily to Pepa.

By now Ten had joined the others, he had tried to offer assistance but Eleven gave him a dirty look and he backed off. He was standing with Amy and Rory while Pepa tried to slow the ship's descent. Pepa shook his head.

"No good, I'm gonna have to do a dimensional jump and leave Pepaland behind," he said to them. "I hate to do it but it's either that or hit the ground and be surrounded by Diablons in seconds. You there," he said to everyone standing behind the Doctor. "Go back to the sleeping quarters and brace yourself and tell everyone to brace themselves as well. The dimensional jump will be very rough since I haven't had time to prepare."

"Go!" the Doctor yelled at them as he fastened his safety belt.

"Follow me!" Ten said as he, Amy and Rory dashed to the back of the ship.

"I'll give you five minutes and then I'm doing the jump!" Pepa called out to them.

All of them picked up speed when they heard that. Ten sprinted to the hatch and flung it open, letting Amy and Rory go down first before he went down after them and closed the hatch. They quickly explained what was happening. Jane and Paul made Tya laid down on her stomach under the lowest platform. He told Jane to lay beside her and he scooted in behind them while Bill did the same with Nog under the next set of platforms. Amy and Rory followed suit under the platforms next to Paul's head and Amy looked at Ten.

"Come on, Doctor, behind us," she said to him.

The Doctor slid under and held on to Rory's middle while he held on to Amy. For a moment, nothing happened and then they heard a huge sonic boom and everyone gasped as they slid slightly across the floor. Jane kissed Tya when she started to cry and Bill quickly reassured Nog as the shaking stopped and the ship stopped. They slowly let go of each other and sat up.

"Are we safe?" Paul asked as they waited for something else to happen.

They sat and waited and then they looked up when they heard the hatch opening. The Eleventh Doctor stuck his head down into the hole and smiled.

"Good, I'm glad you're safe. We're on good old terra firma," he said to them. "So come on up."

"Where are we?" Amy asked as they stood up.

"Strangely enough, it's London or at least…it looks like London," Eleven said. "I can see Big Ben out the window but at the moment I have no idea where in time we are and if we're even in the same dimension but we were gonna go out and explore so everyone up and out."

He leaned up and stepped back as everyone climbed out. Ten climbed out first and took Tya when Paul was halfway up the ladder with her. He put Tya on the ground and he and Eleven helped everyone get out.

"Got a bit of news," Paul said when they were out, "Jane and I officially adopted Tya as our daughter."

Eleven grinned and hugged them both. He leaned down to Tya.

"You're a very lucky girl. These two are the best parents you could hope for," he said, patting her on the head. "Just don't drive them insane."

He smiled warmly when Tya repeated the patting on the head with him and giggled. He stood up and looked at the assembled group.

"Right, Pepa is gonna try to make repairs so in the interim, let's go explore and see where we are, yeah?" Eleven said.

"We are coming back to Pepperland, right?" Bill said.

"I hope so. If the Diablons conquer it, the humans will be enslaved and you lot will end up right back where you started from. But perhaps there is something here we can find that can aid us."

"Or someone," Ten said.

Eleven gave him an annoyed look and Ten sighed.

"Look," he said to Eleven. "Didn't ask for this, you know. It's not my fault and I'm well aware of what happened with the other clone so I will try to be on my bestest behavior and not commit any genocide. Pepa wanted us to work together so let's do that, shall we, and leave the pettiness behind?"

Eleven nodded.

"I'm willing to work with you if you are," he said.

"Agreed," Ten said, holding out his hand.

Eleven nodded and shook it.

"Right," Eleven said to everyone, "let's go explore this London and see what we can find!"

After Pepa opened a side hatch, everyone walked outside. Paul and Jane held Tya's hands as she walked between them. The ship landed in the middle of Hyde Park and several people were stopping and looking at it while they passed by.

"Don't be alarmed," Eleven said, holding up his hands as the hatch closed behind him, "this is performance art. We're the Yellow Submarine Performance Troop and this is our show."

The people who stopped to look glance at each other and walked on by while the Doctor breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hopefully, Pepa can get it repaired soon before people start trying to get inside and take it apart," Eleven said.

They walked towards a cement path and turned to the left once they were on it. They looked around trying to get a clue about where they were but so far they couldn't find any clue. Then the Doctor spied a newsagents booth up ahead and he walked up to it and glanced at the date on a newspaper before he walked back to the others.

"August 25, 1967," he said to them. "So only a few months after we first left…and now we have to figure out if this is another dimension. Usually, there's something different with each dimension. A different time line or different landmarks. We just have to keep our eyes open and…"

"Will that do?" Paul asked, pointing to another newspaper a few feet down from the one he'd glanced at. "Because if I'm not mistaken I see one of the photos from the Sergeant Pepper photo shoot on the front page."

The Doctor walked over and glanced at it while everyone else crowded in around him. He frowned when he read the headline.

BEATLES PERFORM AT WEMBLEY, SOLD OUT CONCERT.

Eleven led them away so the man selling the newspapers couldn't hear them. When they were far enough away, he gathered them together.

"To my knowledge, before the time line was fixed, the Beatles quit touring after the concert at Shea Stadium but here, they're going on another tour. I assume it's to promote Sergeant Pepper which never happened in our universe."

He shifted slightly.

"And if you also noticed, it wasn't Paul that was with the other Beatles, it was Bill. So unless you and the other Beatles decided to include Bill in the photo shoot as a joke like you did in your reality, I'm betting in this reality, you were murdered and Bill has taken your place."

Paul gave him a sympathetic look when Bill cursed under his breath.

"So what do we do?" Bill asked. "Should we go and find out for sure if Paul is alive or not?"

"It's up to you lot," Eleven said. "If you want to know for sure, I'll go along with whatever you decide."

"I think we should," Jane said. "Maybe we can free this Bill from his mind control and at least let him continue on with the guys with a free mind."

"Yeah, I'd rather he had a free mind, even if it means I am dead," Paul said. "I say we try to get into the concert or at least find out where they're staying."

The Doctor nodded when the other adults agreed to this.

"Very well," he said. "Let's put our heads together and find out where they might be staying since I don't think Pepa will want to stay here for a long time. So Paul, where would The Beatles usually stay if they were going to be in a hotel?"

Paul thought a moment and then motioned for everyone to follow him. Jane grabbed Tya's hand and all of them followed Paul out of the park.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"So where do we go, Paul?" Eleven asked.

"Well, in lieu of finding a hotel, I suggest there are two ways we can find out where the Beatles are staying," Paul said.

"And those are?" Eleven said.

Paul grinned.

"Ask the average bloke on the street or follow the sound of girls' screaming. Usually it wasn't a big secret where we were staying," Paul said. "Easier than me sussing out the location."

"Well, before we do, do you mind if we stop somewhere and get me some clothes?" Ten asked, pointing to his toga.

"Sorry, mate, keep forgetting you're wearing that," Eleven said.

They looked around and saw a clothing shop near the park. They headed towards it and went inside. The shopkeeper gave Ten odd looks but he was able to find him something resembling his old outfit, a brown suit, white shirt with tie and white plimsols. Paul paid for the clothes and after Ten thanked him, they went outside and looked around for someone to talk to. Eleven spied someone and walked up to a young policeman standing on the corner, waiting to cross the street.

"Excuse me, sir. Where are the Beatles staying?" he asked him.

The cop narrowed his eyes.

"Why do you want to know?" he asked warily.

"Because I'm a biiig fan and I just want an autograph," Eleven said.

He stopped talking when he noticed the policeman was staring at Paul with shock on his face.

"Hey, isn't that…" he said.

"Um…yeah, I am," Paul said sheepishly.

"What are you doing out here?" the policeman said. "And who are all these people?"

"I…um…was at a party with these people," Paul said, "I got a bit stoned and I can't remember where I'm staying at. Can you help me?"

"What about them?" the policeman said, gesturing to the others.

"They're with me. They're part of my entourage," Paul said. "Could you please direct me to the hotel?"

The officer nodded and beckoned for them to follow. As they were getting closer to the hotel, they suddenly heard women screaming and Paul looked back at everyone with an I told you so look on his face. When they were across the street from the hotel, the policeman looked at Paul.

"Do you need an escort inside?" he asked, gesturing to the ten girls who were grouped around the front entrance.

Paul gave an enquiring look to Eleven and he nodded.

"Yes, I do," he said.

"Follow me then, sir," the policeman said.

As they neared the entrance, the girls at the front stopped screaming and stared at the officer with wary looks on their faces. A little plump girl who had her brown hair in a beehive walked up to him.

"We're not obstructing traffic," she said hurriedly. "We just wanna see…"

Her mouth dropped open when she saw Paul and he waved at her. Everyone flinched and Jane grabbed hold of Tya when the woman let out an ear piercing scream that morphed into, "OH MY GOD, IT'S PAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUL!" followed by another ear piercing scream. Bill calmed Nog who was trying to get away from the crazy woman and Jane sighed as she picked up a visibly shaken Tya who was clinging to her in fear. Paul gave everyone an apologetic look while he stepped forward and took a pen from one of the girls. He began to sign autographs and smiled at the girls while everyone else except for Nog and Tya watched the scene with amusement. One girl who was thin and bony stepped forward. Her red hair draped down past her shoulders and she wore a red shirt and mini skirt.

"Oh thank you," she gushed as Paul took her autograph book. "It's Stacy. I'm so glad you shaved off that stupid mustache. I'm sorry but you looked ugly with it."

"Really?" Paul said trying not to laugh.

"Yeah," the portly girl chimed in, "you looked really strange on the Sergeant Pepper album, like it wasn't really you."

Paul glanced up and met her eyes while he was signing Stacy's autograph book but Stacy didn't say anything more about his appearance and instead continued to scream about how they were meeting Paul McCartney. While he was doing that, both Doctors scanned the hotel. It was ten stories high and they were looking at the windows and balconies for any sign of Bill's double or the other Beatles but they didn't see anyone looking out so they wondered if their hotel room was on the other side of the building. Eleven commented to Ten with amusement that every single curtain on the front side of the hotel was drawn and Ten snickered at that. Paul finished signing the autographs and smiled at the girls while he politely asked if they could step aside so he could go in. The girls parted like the Red Sea and Paul and the others stepped through the female gauntlet to the front entrance. Once inside, the man behind the front desk, a smartly dressed man in his early forties with slicked back hair and a pencil thin mustache did a double take.

"Mr. McCartney, I didn't realize you were out of your room, sir," he said.

"Um…yeah, went and had a walk in the park," Paul said.

"I would advise against that, sir, the females outside will tear you limb from limb if given half a chance."

"Yes, I'm well aware of that," Paul said while everyone except Nog and Tya snickered at that.

"Did you need something, sir?"

"No, I'm…going up to my room."

"Ah, well, there are some letters and a package for you, sir, would you like them now?"

"Letters and a package? Um…okay…" Paul said hesitantly as he walked over to the front desk.

The man ducked down and brought up two letters and a large brown package wrapped in brown paper. Paul accepted them and signed for them in a log book. He thanked the man and they headed off to the right to a small restaurant. Once they were inside the restaurant, Eleven pulled out a handful of perception filters and passed them out.

"Put these on after we order something, that way if the other Bill comes in here, he won't see his counterpart, Paul or Jane," he said to them.

Bill explained to Nog what the perception filter was while Jane slipped one around her daughter's neck. Tya held the key in one hand and stared at it, fascinated, while Jane took her hand and walked with everyone else to a couple of tables. They pushed two large wooden ones together so they could sit and study the letters and package. A waiter came over and they all ordered fish and chips and tea. After he went away, they sat down and Paul set the letters and box on the table in front of him. Eleven urged him and Bill and Jane to go ahead and put their perception filters on, just in case the other Bill walked in. After Paul slipped the key around his neck, he picked up the first letter and examined the front.

Mister Paul McCartney  
c/o The Luxury Arms Hotel  
Suite 1525

He read this aloud to everyone before he tore open the envelope. He did a double take when he pulled out a check and his eyes goggled when he read the amount.

"It's for 2 million pounds," he said to everyone, "from the AC Trust, whatever that is. I wonder what this is for?"

He looked in the envelope but there was nothing else in there. Shrugging, he sat the empty envelope aside and put the check in his pocket before he tore open the next one. He pulled out a letter and set the envelope down before he opened it up. He was about to read it when the waiter appeared with the tea. They waited till he set everything out on the table and left again before Paul unfolded the letter and read it to everyone while they fixed their tea.

My dear boy,

I have taken the liberty of sending you a stipend from your trust fund, I trust you will spend this money wisely and not tell the other Beatles about it. I have spoken to Carl about when it would be feasible to replace them and he assures me that their duplicates are nearly ready. Until then, be friendly towards them since we still need them for the moment. I realize in many ways they are trying to undermine you but rest assured, we are watching them and they will pay dearly for their interference when the time comes. There are some rumors that Lennon is putting clues to McCartney's murder in songs and on album covers, look into this matter and put a stop to it if you can. The man is a troublemaker and I believe he will be the next one to be sacrificed.

I do commend you for your work thus far. As far as we can tell, the brainless masses haven't detected the change and those who would speak out and tell the truth have been silenced. We have held a black mass and cast a spell upon the fans to blind them and prevent them from recognizing the differences between you and McCartney. The spell should hold until you have finished with the plastic surgery and then it shouldn't be a problem any longer. Know that your father would have been proud of you. Alistair has been dead twenty years now but he lives on in you, his favorite son. You are a credit to the Crowley name and may Satan bless you always and give you his strength and power. Because you have done such a good job, I have sent you a little reward for your efforts. Keep me up to date on what the others are doing and keep practicing the bass. I realize it's a bother having to learn to play it left handed when you use your right but unfortunately McCartney was left handed and you must conform to that. But I know you are learning every day how to be like him and it does my heart good to see you serving your intended purpose.

Your affectionate uncle,

Andrew.

Paul looked at everyone who by now was completely silent.

"Alistair Crowley," he said to them. "That chap in the Sergeant Pepper photo who does black magic, Bill's his son?"

As one, everyone looked at their Bill who gave them a shocked look.

"He's not my father, my father is Nathan Campbell," he said. "I didn't even know who Alistair Crowley was until they kidnapped me the first time. How could I be his son?"

"Perhaps in this universe, their Bill is Crowley's son," Jane said gently.

"Maybe…maybe not," Ten murmured.

They looked at him and he leaned towards Bill.

"I've seen photos of Crowley as a young man and you bear a striking resemblance to him," Ten said while Eleven nodded in agreement.

"But he's not my father, it must be a coincidence. I grew up near Inverness, Scotland, I never knew who Crowley was until the Diablons took me."

"I didn't want to mention this, I didn't think it important at the time," Eleven said, "but when I went into your mind to fix the brainwashing and block your mind, I did notice that you had repressed some childhood memories. Very early childhood memories. Are you sure you've lived with the Campbells your entire life, Bill?"

Bill opened his mouth and it hung open when he couldn't think of how to answer that. Everyone stared at him quietly while he closed his mouth and shrugged.

"All I can say is if I'm adopted, I must have been adopted when I was a baby because I don't remember any other family except the one I grew up with."

"When I was looking at the Illuminati's files, I saw a bit on how they operate," Eleven said. "They often bred specific individuals to get desired traits in their offspring or for a specific function they wanted their children to do. These individuals are ritually tortured and brainwashed at a young age. Sexually and physically abused until their minds split from the trauma and anguish and they develop split personalities that the Illuminati can use to create different personas that they can control. In effect they turn little children into mind slaves."

Bill stared at him in horror.

"And…you think this happened to me?" he said fearfully while Jane put her arm around him.

"I don't know, Bill. But if you don't mind, I'd like to take another look into your mind when we get the chance," Eleven said. "I want to see for myself…"

He shut up when the waiter came around with a trolley and served them their fish and chips. Once he was gone, Eleven continued while they ate.

"I want to see if these repressed memories have anything to do with ritual abuse. Sometimes an individual will block horrifying memories so they can cope with life or perhaps the Illuminati blocked them when you went to live with the Campbells so you would grow up and be unaware of your true purpose until it was time."

"Wait, you mean I was supposed to replace Paul all along and that's why I was born?" Bill said. "The Beatles didn't even become famous until I was 25. How would they have known about Paul back then?"

"Maybe it wasn't them but you were destined to replace someone," Ten said. "That's our theory anyway. He's right. Some people are bred to fulfill positions, some are made into slaves and some were used as sacrifices and nothing more."

Everyone stared at him in horror. Bill turned ashen and Jane squeezed his shoulder and rubbed his back when he looked like he was about to vomit.

"I can't believe this," Bill said, shaking his head. "It just seems so outrageous to me but after everything I've been through…oh God, those sick bastards…"

"I have a thought," Paul said while Jane gave her brother in law a sideways hug, "do you think that they were able to predict the Beatles becoming successful and someone allowed us to be as successful as we have been because they knew that Bill would someday replace me?"

"Well…it's possible, I s'pose," Eleven said. "Why? Do you think someone helped your band become as successful as it is?"

"Yes, definitely," Paul said. "Brian, our manager, went to all these recording studios trying to get our big break and finally we got an audition with EMI and George Martin listened to us and I have to admit we weren't very good. I was very nervous and I stammered through my songs but George decided to take a chance on us anyway. And we always used to think it was almost supernatural how much the fans went crazy for us, like they were under a spell. And we've had nothing but lucky breaks since."

"So…" Ten said, "you think that these people might have singled the Beatles out due to your resemblance to Bill and then helped you become superstars so he would eventually take your place?"

"It sounds daft but like Bill said, after everything I've seen…"

"I have to admit you also resembled Crowley," Ten said. "However you have a passing resemblance whereas Bill here is a dead ringer. You may be right that someone at EMI was keeping watch for any music groups that came along that had a member that looked close enough to Bill that they could replace at some point. Bill's not an exact match and I admit during the early years when he replaced you, you could see the difference but as he grew older and the years went by and he had more plastic surgery, the two of you looked more alike. I doubt if they had a psychic who saw you specifically when Bill was born and said Bill will replace Paul someday, I think they just kept their eyes open and when you came along, then helped the Beatles to become as great as they were through whatever means necessary."

"Including black magic?" Amy said. "Paul said the fan's reaction to them was almost supernatural. Could these people have cast a spell to make them as famous as they are?"

"I don't know about that. I really don't believe in magic but I do believe in science and mind control techniques and possibly even group hypnosis," Eleven said. "You told us Jane was hired at the beginning to be a screamer and get other people enthusiastic about the band. Perhaps that was a part of their plan. They are the ones who created Beatlemania and it spread all over the world."

"Ugh, I owe my success to a band of deluded Satan worshipers," Paul said in disgust.

"Perhaps, but you are a musical genius and I'm sure you would have been successful even without their help," Eleven replied.

Paul toasted him with his tea cup before he took a sip of tea.

"Thing is…" Ten said, "according to the data when they created multiple personalities, they then built a persona and they could switch between personas with a prearranged hypnotic suggestion like a key word or gesture. Bill's mind was like that, each personality is like a compartment and someone had forced Bill into a compartment where he thought he was Paul and that's why he was absolutely convinced he was."

"But when I went into Bill's mind, I shut down all these other compartments except for Bill's original personality," Eleven added, "now perhaps this Bill is the same way. His mind switches from Paul to Bill and back since these letters are obviously addressed to Bill. Perhaps there is someone near Bill who gives him a hypnotic suggestion and he switches personalities and becomes Paul. The technique is called psychic driving; basically the victim is forced to assume different personalities at will when someone feeds them a cue that triggers a hypnotic suggestion."

"God…" Jane said, shaking her head. "And when Bill is in this Paul compartment in his mind, he absolutely believes he is Paul."

"I think so, yes," Eleven said. "That's according to the data we got from the Hades."

"And some people are conceived just for sacrifices?" Rory said.

"Yes," Eleven said. "As repulsive as that is, they are bred to be sacrifices at some point in their lives and nothing more. Now I believe that is mainly for the brainwashed humans, not for the Diablons. The sacrifice at any rate, the Diablons may consume the flesh afterwards. They do like to eat a wide variety of creatures and I have reason to think humans might be on their menu. But as far as sacrificing for Satan, that's the humans' doing."

Everyone fell silent while they took that all in. Then Paul suddenly snapped out of his reverie and remembered the package. Everyone watched and ate while he opened it. When he peeled off the brown paper, he saw a black box. He opened the lid and his eyes bulged before he slammed the lid shut.

"What is it?" Rory said.

Paul looked around to make sure no one was listening to him.

"LSD. Lots of it, liquid and pills."

"Give it here, I'll hide it," Eleven said.

He managed to shove the box in his trouser pocket before the waiter came back to ask if everything was satisfactory. They told him it was and they were fine before he went away again.

"I think even if Pepa gets the ship working, we should stay long enough to sort this out," Eleven said. "At least make sure that they no longer have a hold on Bill's mind and the other Beatles aren't in danger. I think maybe we should spend the night here and try to get as close to Suite 1525 as we can and…"

Everyone frowned when he trailed off. He pointed over Paul's shoulder and everyone turned and saw the other Bill entering the restaurant. Everyone sat perfectly still and Jane fed Tya quietly while they watched the other Bill sit down at a table next to theirs and wait for the waiter.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

Everyone was silent as they ate their fish and chips and glanced at the other Bill. Bill had lit a cigarette and was taking a drag on it while he read the morning paper. He looked like he did on the Sergeant Pepper cover but instead of a military uniform; he was wearing black trousers, white shirt and a red and white sweater vest. He finished his cigarette as the waiter came over. To everyone's relief, it was a different waiter this time and he kowtowed and practically groveled over Bill while he gave him his order of a cup of coffee and a glass of wine. The waiter went away and Bill looked around before he pulled a small black box out of his pocket similar to the one Paul had. And just like that box, this one contained LSD tabs. They watched while he put one in his mouth and swallowed it before he lit up another cigarette. He took a drag on it and flicked some ash off into the ashtray before he resumed his perusal of the morning paper. While he read the paper, everyone stared at him. So far he hadn't spoken and his demeanor didn't give any clues whether he was currently Paul or Bill. Paul looked at the sweater vest with disgust and tapped Eleven on the arm.

"I wouldn't wear that ugly thing if you had me at gunpoint," he mouthed to him, pointing to the sweater vest.

Eleven held his laughter in while he pinched his nose and gagged silently. Paul nodded and rolled his eyes. He turned his eyes back to the other Bill as the waiter came up to his table and served him his coffee and wine. He frowned when Bill didn't even look up from his newspaper to acknowledge the man or thank him. The waiter seemed miffed at that but said nothing as he walked away. Bill barely noticed his presence as he turned the page and read an article. Paul tapped Eleven on the arm.

"That was rude. I would have never done that to the waiter," he mouthed to Eleven who nodded in agreement.

Eleven leaned in and Paul did the same.

"You're come from a working class environment so I believe you about acknowledging the waiter's presence," he whispered to him. "If this is Crowley's son, I believe he takes after him. Crowley was known for being arrogant and disdainful of people he felt were lower than him. Bill's probably been brought up the same way."

"And the bad part is he's doing everything in my name and doing things I'd never do like wear manky, grotty clothes I wouldn't be seen in broad daylight in."

Eleven chuckled softly and patted his shoulder before both of them leaned back up and finished eating. While they did that, Jane watched Bill's double while he turned the page of the newspaper and flicked more ash off his cigarette. He had heard the conversation between her husband and the Doctor and she had to agree with them. Just from observing this other Bill, she could tell the man oozed arrogance and she could tell he felt he had a sense of entitlement. It made her sick to her stomach that her husband's counterpart was murdered so a pompous, heartless man could take his place.

While he was reading the paper, a man walked over to him. He looked Mediterranean with olive skin and thick eyebrows that nearly formed a unibrow. The man had a dug face much like Bill's, thin lips, shoulder length black hair and a cold, calculating expression on his face. Bill looked up from his paper and smiled at the man, obviously recognizing him.

"Hello Andre," he said to him as he sat down.

"Good morning, Paul, enjoying your day?" Andre asked while everyone at the other table ate and watched them.

"Yes, I am for a change," Bill said airily, "I finally got a break from those idiotic band mates of mine. I tell ya, Andre, sometimes they just get on my last nerve."

"I understand," Andre said, taking a cigarette when Bill offered it to him. "Perhaps a trip to the zoo would cheer them up. Especially if they went and saw the…platypus."

Both Doctors raised their eyebrows when Bill stiffened at the mention of the world and suddenly began to go into what looked like a minor seizure. His eyes rolled up in his head. Ten felt someone tapping on his arm and he turned his head around.

"What's going on?" Amy mouthed as she pointed to Bill.

"Psychic driving," Ten mouthed back. "Platypus must have been the trigger word."

Bill's seizure stopped and instantly his whole demeanor changed. Instead of being arrogant and cocky, his shoulders were slightly hunched and he appeared submissive. Both Doctors narrowed his eyes when Andre chuckled at this and took a drag on his cigarette.

"Anything to report, William?" he asked him.

"Not much, master," William said in a voice that had none of the cockiness it had before. "We're supposed to play Wembley Stadium tonight."

"And are the others accepting you as one of their own?" Andre asked.

"George and Ringo are complying for the most part, although they remain cold and distant in private."

"But Lennon…"

"Lennon is hostile and he's still being belligerent."

"What about planting clues? Is he doing that?"

"I believe so, master. We're working on the songs to go along with the Magical Mystery Tour idea and I believe he's still embedding clues into the songs. I was listening to the title track and about 48 seconds in I heard a faint car crash embedded deep in the song."

Andre cursed

"What should I do, master?" William asked.

"Do nothing at present. Let the little shit think he's being clever and getting away with it. Later on, we'll insert conflicting clues so at least if this gets out to the public, no one will know what to believe," Andre replied. "His duplicate isn't quite ready yet so we'll have to tolerate him for now. Do what you can to accommodate him but at the same time let him know that this is now your band and the little git is just gonna have to accept it."

"He nearly punched me the other day," William said.

"What happened?" Andre said, narrowing his eyes.

"He was drunk and high on LSD, same stuff he's been using to drown his sorrows in since McCartney died. I tried to avoid him and frankly, Ringo and George were doing the same but when I was going out to my car outside EMI, he followed me, grabbed me and slammed me up against the door. Told me that I knew all along that McCartney was gonna die and it was my fault and he would have loved it if I'd been taken along with him back to Dartmoore Forest and stood there, forced to watch at gunpoint while McCartney bled to death. He told me if I'd seen the anguish McCartney was going through when he was bleeding from the bullet hole in his head and slowly dying in front of his eyes, I might have gained a heart or soul of some kind. I told him I didn't know what he was on about; that I was Paul and he nearly lost it. Mal had to come and pull him off me before he put his fist in my face."

"If that happens again, call me. We'll come round and sort him out and make sure that doesn't happen again," Andre said. "I don't like that he's still alive, every second he lives he jeopardizes our plans but as I said, we have no choice right now so we have to continue to threaten him if he keeps up his antagonistic behavior. Are you adjusting well?"

"Yes, I think I'm finally starting to master playing the bass left handed."

"Good. Good job. I'm proud of you and so's your uncle. He told me he sent you a couple of letters and a package so it should be here shortly. Keep an eye out for it."

William nodded and Andre crushed out his cigarette in the ashtray and blew the last of the smoke out his nose as he got up.

"I have to be going, but it was nice meeting with you again…Scarab."

Eleven sighed angrily when William went into a mini-convulsion again at the mention of the word. Andre chuckled to himself and waited while William changed back into the Paul persona. Once the seizure was done, William blinked and instantly his cocky demeanor was back as he coughed and straightened up in his chair.

"Leaving so soon?" he said with more confidence than he had as William.

"Yes, I have business to take care of; I'll talk to you later. Good luck at the concert tonight," Andre said.

William nodded and he picked up his newspaper again as Andre smirked and walked out of the room. Eleven looked at everyone.

"At least we know the key words now," he mouthed to everyone. "We need to get him alone and…"

"I gotta go pee," Tya suddenly said to Jane.

"Baby, in a minute, okay?" Jane said, trying to keep her quiet.

"Jane?"

Jane froze when she heard William's voice. She looked up and saw him staring at her in shock.

"When did you get here? I didn't see you come in," he said.

Jane glanced around but he didn't seem to see anyone else. Paul held his daughter and kissed her head, trying to keep her silent so he wouldn't become visible to William. William put the newspaper down on the table.

"You know, you can sit over here with me, I won't bite," he said with a bemused expression on his face.

Her stomach lurching, she got up and walked over while Eleven gave her a look of encouragement. While she was doing that, Paul slowly got up with Tya and mouthed to everyone that he was taking her to the lavatory and for a short walk. Everyone nodded and Paul shot his wife a loving look before he slowly exited the restaurant with Tya in his arms. Meanwhile, Jane walked over and sat down beside William so everyone would have a clear view of them. William reached into his pocket and pulled out the box of acid. He offered one to Jane and she shook her head and held her hand up. William shrugged and put them back in his pocket. Jane looked into his eyes and noticed that they were now slightly glazed and she knew the acid was kicking in. Looking at this man who took Paul's place, she felt only disgust. Unlike her Bill or her husband who were both warm and loving, this man was pompous and arrogant and seemed to think he owned the world. Looking at him, she could tell why the Beatles had broken up in her universe's original time line. William took a final drag of his cigarette and crushed it out.

"Thought you were rehearsing for a play," he said to her.

Jane wracked her brain trying to think what play it might be but since this was months after she started traveling with the Doctor, she had no clue. She decided to keep things as vague as possible.

"We stopped for lunch," she said. "I thought I'd come and see you during the break."

"Nice to know you paused long enough in your little career to remember you had a boyfriend."

"And what's that s'posed to mean?" Jane said angrily.

She gasped and Bill nearly rose from his seat when William seized her arm.

"It means you need to quit your career and marry me and give me a family!" he snarled at her. "I don't know if you know this but we Northern men want two things, a loving wife who caters to her husband and a family and so far I don't see you providing me with either."

Eleven watched the interaction, glad that Paul had left since he was pretty sure Paul would have been over the table and punching William in the face before he had a chance to stop him. Jane wrenched her arm away from him and William chuckled.

"You know I'm only havin' ya on, love," he said with mock affection, "but I do wish you'd spend more time with me. I get lonely without ya near, ya know. You need to come tonight and support me. I get to play Wembley Stadium, babe. Sold out crowd. All these years and the Beatles are still on top! Ain't it lovely?"

"Yeah, I s'pose it is," Jane said, wondering how her counterpart was reacting to all this.

She gasped when William seized her arm again.

"You know, you've been really moody for the last few months and I don't like it," he growled at her.

Jane wanted to scream out that she was more than likely moody because the love of her life was dead but she held her tongue and forced down her anger since the last thing she wanted was a black eye.

"I'm sorry, I've been a bit tense lately," she said as evenly as she could, "it's stressful going through rehearsals…"

She thought for a second and decided she would say what was on her mind.

"And frankly your drug use disturbs me," she added.

She wanted so much to wipe the smirk off William's arrogant, pompous face as he gazed at her in silent amusement. She glanced over at Bill who was watching his counterpart with barely contained anger and she said a silent prayer of thanks that the Doctor had gotten to him in time so he never ended up like the arrogant fool sitting beside her. He chuckled softly.

"Babe," he said in a condescending tone of voice that made Jane want to slap him that much more, "you're concerned about my drug use while Johnny is constantly pissed and stoned off his arse 24 hours a day? Have you seen the man? You have been in his house and seen the mortar and pestle in his bedroom, right? You do know what he uses that for, right?"

Jane wasn't sure if her John took drugs apart from the occasional joint. If he did, he was able to hide it pretty well since she never heard of him possessing a mortar and pestle in his house. William was looking at her, waiting for an answer so Jane decided to bullshit her way through it again.

"I suppose he does, but I don't have to date him, do I?" she said.

"I s'pose not, unless you are…"

Jane's mouth fell open.

"I think you know the answer to that one…Paul," she said, forcing herself to call this man by her husband's name.

"Do I?" William said. "I don't know what goes on during your day because you're not with me like you should be."

"I have a right to have a life of my own, thank you very much!" Jane shot back.

"No, you have a right to be with me, Paul McCartney, and keep me fucking company. That is your right!" he snarled after seizing her arm again.

Ten nearly rose up when they saw him squeezing her arm and hurting her. Eleven grabbed his arm and shook his head. Ten stayed in his seat and glowered at William while he released her arm and smirked. Then to Jane's horror, William spotted her wedding ring and she inwardly groaned while William blinked his LSD addled vision into focus and stared at it in disbelief.

"What is this?" he said, pointing to the ring. "I never gave that to you! Where did you get it?"

"I picked it up in Portobello Road."

Jane gasped when William lunged at her.

"Wrong, you little whore; this is an expensive wedding ring! Who gave it to you, who?"

In desperation and to protect her friends and family who were about to reveal themselves to save her, she decided to play her trump card.

"Platypus!" she yelled.

William slumped back in his seat, his eyes up in his head while he convulsed. She looked at Eleven and mouthed, "I'm sorry," to him. Eleven nodded and mouthed back, "We're here if you need us," to her. Jane nodded and turned her attention back to William who had finished with his seizures and was staring at her in shock.

"The reason I'm wearing this ring is because it was given to me by the man I truly love, the one you bastards murdered!" Jane said to William.

William chuckled at that and smirked.

"Your so-called true love isn't half the man I am," he said as he sat up straight in his chair.

He gave her a look of contempt and Jane noticed that he wasn't being submissive. She guessed that Andre had been a slave master and he had been taught to be submissive with him. She, however, was a different story but she wasn't about to be intimidated by him.

"What happened to him? What happened to Paul?" she demanded.

William giggled a high-pitched giggle, made a gun with his hand and pointed it above his right ear.

"Bang!" he said while Jane stared at him in silent shock. "Some friends of mine gave little Pauly a hole he couldn't fix and now the rain's getting in it along with the worms, the bugs, the maggots…"

He sniggered when he saw tears come to her eyes.

"What? He was a waste of space, a little goody two shoes scouse who couldn't carry a tune in a bucket. I'm far better than he is. Face it, Janey, you traded up the moment Pauly snuffed it. If I were you, I'd just forget the little bastard and shag me. Don't worry, lamb, I'll give you a nice little comfort fuck to help you get over the ponce."

Jane couldn't stand it anymore, she lunged at him and smacked his face as hard as she could. She immediately knew she made a wrong move when she saw the drug crazed expression on his face.

"That's it, bitch, you're about to join your husband six feet under, Strawberry Fields forever, bitch!"

"No!"

Everyone looked over when they heard a yell and saw Paul running in, Tya in his arms. William reeled back and all the color drained out of his face. He let out a high-pitched scream as Jane ran to him and took Tya into her arms. Paul walked over to William who was trembling.

"No, it can't be, you're dead! You're fucking dead; they put a bullet through your fucking head! You can't be here!" he yelled, panicking.

Paul jerked his head around when he heard voices from the kitchen and saw the kitchen staff running out to see what the commotion was about. He took Jane by the arms and guided her and Tya away while the staff ran over to William who was ranting and raving about Paul being alive and haunting him.

"Mister McCartney, please calm down," his waiter said.

"What are you talking about? That's not Paul McCartney," the waiter who served Paul said. "I waited on Paul, he didn't have a mustache."

"PAUL IS THERE!" William said, frantically pointing Paul's way, "HE'S FUCKING THERE! HE'S BACK FROM THE DEAD! PROTECT ME BEFORE HE KILLS ME!"

"Someone call the hospital," the head waiter said to everyone. "The man needs medical attention."

"I DIDN'T DO IT! I WASN'T A PART OF IT!" William screamed at Paul. "I JUST TOOK YOUR PLACE! I DIDN'T SHOOT YOU! DON'T KILL ME!"

Eleven walked over to Paul's side.

"I think we better leave so they can get this situation under control. We can come back later and sort this out before the staff sees you. Besides, Tya and Nog need to calm down as well," he said softly while William continued to scream and rant and rave about Paul being alive.

Paul nodded. Eleven beckoned to everyone to follow him and Paul put his arm around Jane while she held Tya close.

"What's happening?" Tya asked as they headed towards the exit.

"Nothing, sweetie, it's nothing, just ignore it," Jane said to her as she held her close.

"Serves the bastard right," Bill said, shaking his head. "It was all I could do to stay in my seat."

"Why? What'd he do?" Paul said. "I came in just as he was threatening to kill Jane."

"Let's go back to the ship and tell Pepa we need to spend the night," Eleven said. "We'll tell you what happened on the way there and…"

They froze when they walked out of the restaurant and saw John Lennon heading towards them. They hoped that they stopped in time so he wouldn't see Paul but they could tell from his anguished look that it was too late.

"Paul?" John said with a trembling voice as Paul groaned silently.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

Paul's heart ached when he saw the state his friend was in. John was haggard, he had lost some weight and his eyes were glazed from drug use. Paul could tell he was barely holding on to sanity and he had to restrain himself from going back in and beating the shit outta William.

"Paul? You survived?" John said in a hopeful voice. "That wasn't you? It was a replacement like fucking William?"

Paul was at a loss for words, unsure how to deal with the situation. He hated seeing his best friend like this but he couldn't lie to him and give him false hope. He stood there when John came up and embraced him tightly and tears came to his eyes when John began to sob on his shoulder.

"I knew it wasn't you, Paulie," John said as he lifted his head and cupped Paul's face with his hands. "Where were you? Did they hold you captive? Is Brian alive as well?"

Paul stiffened.

"Brian? Our Brian?" he said.

John stared at him with bleary eyes.

"Yes, our Brian, the one that manages us. He bashed his head on the windscreen when your car hit the tree, you don't remember? Or did they take you away and crash the car after that?"

"Wait, John, I thought I was shot, now you're saying I was in a car crash as well?" Paul said. "And Brian was in it with me?"

John stared at him, completely confused. Eleven went up beside Paul to try to sort out the situation. Ten glanced at Jane and noticed that Tya was scared while Jane tried to soothe her. He walked over to her and put his hand on her shoulder.

"Listen, the poor child has been traumatized enough for one day, don't you think? Why don't we get her an ice cream or something so she can get out of this until it gets sorted out?"

"Yes, I wanna get her away from here, she's scared enough as it is."

"Go ahead and go back to the ship. If we stay here tonight, we'll have to tell Pepa anyway," Eleven said to his counterpart.

Ten nodded and saluted him. He smiled tenderly at Jane and Tya as he took Jane's hand and led them away towards the front entrance. Eleven watched them go and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tya calming down as she walked with Jane. Bill tapped him on the shoulder.

"Look, he's freaking out over me now," Bill said, pointing to John.

Eleven looked at John and saw that he was looking at Bill with pure hate.

"I'll take Nog and go back to the ship as well," Bill said.

"Good idea. Or go ahead and catch up to them. Might as well treat yourself to an ice cream, eh?"

Paul wriggled free of John's grasp and reached into his pocket.

"Here, mate," he said, giving him his wallet. "It's on me, I don't want you washing dishes if you come up short."

"Thanks, I'll see you back at the ship," Bill said.

"Be careful," Paul replied.

Bill nodded. He beckoned to Nog and both of them hurried to catch up to Ten, Jane and Tya while Paul turned back to his friend.

"Paul, that's the bastard that's impersonating ya and you're giving him your wallet?" John said in disbelief.

"No, actually, the bastard that's impersonating me is in the restaurant having a nervous breakdown," Paul said, hooking his thumb back at the door.

John looked over his shoulder and saw William sitting in a chair, calmer now but still babbling about being haunted by Paul McCartney while the staff tried to keep him from going berserk. John growled low in his throat and started to move past him when Paul slammed his hand into his friend's chest.

"Don't you dare go in there and make it worse, Lennon," he said angrily. "Let them handle it!"

"He killed you or he stood by and let you be killed or kidnapped or…what the hell happened to you since apparently you're not dead!"

"If I tell you what happened to me, will you tell me what you think happened because I'm completely confused. Brian is dead?"

"He died in the car crash," John said in exasperation, "he was with ya when they ran you off the road into a tree."

"Who? Who ran us off the road."

John jabbed his finger in William's direction.

"The bastards he's friends with, that's who!" he said angrily.

Paul looked over at the front desk and noticed the desk staff were giving them odd looks.

"Look, John, take us up to your hotel room so we can discuss this in private, yeah?"

"Who are they? More of his cronies?" John said, narrowing his eyes at Eleven, Rory and Amy.

"No, they're friends, very dear friends and they want to help you just as much as I do. Now can we please go up to your suite?"

"Ringo and George are there," John said.

"Good. We can all sit down and have a chat," Paul said. "Because trust me, you'll wanna sit down when you hear my explanation about why I'm still alive."

John smiled and put his arm around him. Paul looked back at the others and they could see the pained look on his face contrasted with the happy look on John's face.

"This isn't gonna be pretty," Amy muttered as they followed John and Paul.

Jane walked with her daughter and Ten along the pavement. For the most part, Jane had been silent as she kept her eyes open for an ice cream shop they could go to. Tya had calmed down and was looking around her in wide-eyed wonder which melted Ten's hearts. He was happy for them that they had found a little daughter to love in all this. He continued to walk with his friends, enjoying the late morning and the cloudless sky.

"I know I'm not much company."

Ten looked at Jane and smiled.

"Nah, you're fine. I know you and the little nipper kipper have had a lot to process today," he said. "I'm happy just to walk with ya and possibly get some nummy ice cream in my tummy."

"It's just that…I can't believe that's another version of Bill…our Bill, the Bill who wouldn't hurt a fly and his double was just some drug-crazed egomaniac."

"It's the programming, it's changed him," Ten said somberly. "Besides, he might be slightly different than our Bill; this is a parallel universe after all."

"Yes, but…I just hate to think what they might have done to our Bill. Repressed memories and all that stuff about ritual abuse and…"

"Bill's a very strong person," Ten said gently. "He's come through a lot but he has a lot of inner strength and I think that's why he's still sane and not some insane megalomaniac."

"I wonder if he would have done the same if my Paul had died, would he have acted like that? I didn't hate Bill until today and it scared me because I know it's not our Bill but I still had this loathing for him, like he was some sort of elitist who felt he deserved to take Paul's place. I'm just glad that our Bill isn't like that."

"So am I," Ten said.

"What about you? You died to become our Doctor?"

Ten looked down at the ground.

"Yeah," he said softly.

"What happened?" Jane asked.

"Um, not sure I should say right now, not in front of the little lady who's seen enough things death related for one day."

"Yes, you're right, I'm sorry."

"Nothing to be sorry about," Ten said happily. "I understand. I will tell you if you want, just not around her since she needs to have some happy, warm ice cream tummy time and feel loved."

Jane giggled.

"You're a bit different than the other Doctor. You're a little more…sillier."

"Yeah, I noticed that. When did I become a bow tie wearin' stiffie? Ugh, knew it was a mistake to die, I turned into Mister Grumpy Fez."

"Why do you keep mentioning a fez?" Jane said in amusement.

"Oh, you wanna hear the story about his fez? He loved a fez once. It was a very creepy love affair but he loved it."

Jane giggled and Ten patted her on the shoulder. He pointed ahead.

"Look! Ice cream place! We can have happy, warm, fuzzy, ice creamy tummies now!" he said.

"Lead the way then…um, is there something else we can call you? I mean, calling you both Doctor is a bit confusing."

"Call me John then."

"Why John?"

"It's me moniker, me alias, me nom de plume! I call meself John Smith when I wanna pass myself off as a human and lo and behold, I'm a human now, so just call me John Smith."

"Really? Not very original, yeah?" Jane said.

"Nah, it'll do. I'm not very fussy. You can call me Tousley Todder Poo Poo the Third if it makes you happy, I'll answer to almost anything."

"Okay then, Tousley, let's get some ice cream!" Jane said.

"Janey, you are speakin' my language!" John said as he opened the door.

He was about to go inside when he heard someone calling for Doctor. He turned and saw Bill and Nog running to catch up with them.

"Oh, hello," John said.

"Sorry, we were going to catch up to you but Nog wanted to know what happened back there so I took a minute to explain," Bill said as he and Nog ran up to them. "I've got Paul's wallet, he said to get whatever you want and…"

He stopped talking when Jane embraced him and held him tightly.

"I was telling…well, he wants us to call him John Smith now, I was telling John that I'm so glad you didn't change into…that thing back there. I'm so glad you're a warm, sweet, loving guy."

John smiled while Bill embraced her.

"I was thinking the same thing myself," Bill said, hugging her tightly. "I was horrified that he could have been me if the Doctor hadn't saved me. The way he treated you made my stomach turn. I had to fight myself just to stay still."

"I saw that," Jane said, nodding as they broke apart. "Listen, you go ahead and let the Doctor see these memories of yours, perhaps he can help you come to terms with them."

"Or…if you want, he could also erase them," John said. "I don't believe they're essential and in fact, I think they're hindering you because I think your low self esteem comes from whatever happened to you that you're repressing. If you can't remember it, then you won't remember it subconsciously either."

"That sounds good. If they're what I think there are, I want no part of that past. I may have been Crowley's child but I don't have to accept him as my father."

"My sentiments exactly," John said. "Now…shall we go in and have a laugh and relax for a bit with ice cream?"

Everyone nodded and he opened the door and let them all go in before he went in after them and closed the door behind him.

Meanwhile, Paul, Amy, Rory and The Doctor were in the Beatles's suite. Paul was wondering if this had been such a good idea since now Ringo and George were in tears and embracing him. All three of them were asking about Brian and Paul finally had to sit them all down while he and his sister and friends got chairs and sat down in front of them.

"Look, just tell us what you know about my death," Paul said to them.

The three Beatles looked at each other.

"I'll do it, you're in no shape to talk about it," George said to John, "you're barely holding it together as it is."

"Go right ahead," John said.

George sighed and told them what they knew.

"You and Brian went out for a drive on November 9th," George said. "You were driving along, I suppose, when these bastards smacked into the back of your car and ran you off the road right into a tree. Brian was killed instantly but you were thrown from the car and ended up nearby in some bushes. The bastards stopped the car and went down to check on their handiwork and while they were examining Brian's body, you groaned and that's how they found you. They grabbed you and one of them radioed back that you weren't dead yet. They put your body in the boot of their car and took you to a helicopter. The helicopter flew all of you to Dartmoore Forest and somewhere in the forest was a little rickety shack. You were hurt badly so they tied you up very loosely because they didn't think you had long to live anyway. You heard them talking about how they were going to kill you, you wriggled out of the ropes, opened a window and got out of it. You ran for your life and the bastards saw you and ran after you. They shot you in the left shoulder and when you went down, they grabbed you, raised you up, put the gun above your right ear and shot the bullet through your head. It came out your left cheek and they dropped you to the ground and let you bleed to death. While you were lying there bleeding, they drove over to John's house, forced him at gunpoint into the car and drove back to the woods."

"And they forced me to stand there at gunpoint and watch while you slowly died in front of me," John said in a choked voice, "and I couldn't do a damn thing about it. I had to stand there until you died and then they left me alone. I fell to my knees and I vomited and kept on vomiting."

"After that," Ringo said. "They put your body in a cave for awhile and went somewhere, God knows where. They came and got your body after a few hours and dumped it on John's doorstep. We had you buried inside the grounds of the Strawberry Field orphanage and as far as I know, you're still there. Except you're right here so what the fuck is going on? Who did we bury?"

"You buried Paul," Paul said.

He swallowed hard when all of them stared at him in shock.

"Just hear me out, fellas, I can explain," he said to them. "Although you might not like what I'm going to tell you. You see…"

Suddenly, the door opened and everyone froze when William came into the suite. He froze when he spied Paul sitting in the chair and his mouth dropped open.

"Oh shit," Amy muttered when he saw John slowly rise from his chair with fists clenched.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

John was about to hit William when he noticed the horrified look on William's face as he gazed at Paul. An insane chuckle came out of John's mouth.

"What's wrong, matey? The person you killed come back to life?" John taunted him. "I knew that something would happen to knock you off your little high horse. Guess what? You're not a member of the Beatles anymore!"

"The fuck I'm not!" William shouted at him. "If he wasn't killed the first time, we can do the job properly next time and all of you will end up dying with him."

"Not if I can help it!"

William looked at the Doctor who was giving him a menacing look. William took in his tweed jacket and bow tie and snorted in derision.

"Go back to the university, Professor, and leave the rock stars alone," William said.

"Yeah, I agree, William," John said, "leave the real rock stars alone and go back to whatever fucking rock you crawled out of!"

William gave John such a haughty look that Paul had to restrain himself before he slapped it off his face. He looked at George and Ringo and noticed the two of them were unsure what to do. They locked eyes and Paul nodded his head at William and mimed grabbing him. Ringo and George shared a look and the two of them slowly inched towards Paul while William and John continued to argue and taunt one another.

"You really think you can kick me out of your band just like that?" William sneered. "I was put here by very powerful people and trust me, they will keep me here whether you like it or not! Even if Baby Face there has to be part of it, I'm still not leaving! So if I were you, I'd behave, Lennon, all of you! Because I'm here to stay!"

"Well, if you're here to stay," Paul said, "there's something you should know about us."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?" William said.

"We're very big on teamwork. NOW!"

John laughed when Paul, George and Ringo lunged at him and grabbed him around the arms and legs. The Doctor ran forward and quickly put his fingers to William's temples, sending him into unconsciousness.

"What'd you do?" George asked when he noticed William passed out.

"I rendered him unconscious," the Doctor said.

"How?" John said. "Not that I'm complaining since I'm glad the bastard's shut up but how did you do it?"

"Well, before I answer that, I think we should secure William and make sure he doesn't get away."

"Kill the fucker, that's what I say!" John said, pointing at him as he lay sprawled out on the floor.

"No, John," Paul said.

"Paul, you heard him, he won't stop till we're all dead!" John said. "I'm sorry, I know it's cold and callous but boo hoo, fuck him, shoot the bastard!"

"No! There are other ways to deal with him. There's a way he could be saved and restored to his old self, just let the Doctor handle this," Paul said to him.

"Who is he?" John said, pointing at him. "How'd he make him go unconscious just by touching him. Who the hell is he?"

Paul sighed and the Doctor put a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll tie William up if you want to tell them," the Doctor said.

"Tie him up with what?" Paul said to him.

The Doctor looked around and looked at the waistband of John's trousers.

"Belts! Give them to me! We can secure his arms and legs with them," the Doctor said to the Beatles.

Everyone took off their belts and gave them to the Doctor. He passed them out to Amy and Rory and they started securing William while Paul tried as delicately as he could to explain why he was alive and who the Doctor was. The Doctor, Amy and Rory used the belts around William's shin, legs and two on his arms when they turned him on his side and put his arms behind his back.

"Don't know how well that will hold him but it'll slow him up enough that I can knock him out again if needs be," the Doctor said when they finished.

They stood up and listened to Paul. By now, he had finished explaining how he was still alive and was trying to explain the Doctor. The Doctor could tell from their faces that they were all wondering if Paul had been drugged or was on drugs because he could see they weren't buying it. He cursed the fact that his TARDIS was back in the ice age but he figured Pepa's ship might be enough to convince them. Besides that, he figured that he could get William back there and get him secured. He wanted to try to save him the way he saved Bill if it was all possible. He was staring at William, thinking that over when he felt someone roughly tap him on the shoulder.

"Hey," John said to him, "if all this is true and you went back in time to save Paul, can you go back in time and save our Paul and Brian? Because we'd rather have them back than that…thing!"

The Doctor looked at Paul.

"You know, Pepa isn't gonna stand for this much longer. Eventually, we'll have to get back in the ship and go. My TARDIS is back in our reality in the ice age and without it, I can't go back and help their Paul. Now if Pepa has the ability to cross the void perhaps we can go back, bring the TARDIS on board the ship and come back here to help but I just can't blink my eyes and take you all back in time."

"Pepa?" John said, frowning.

Paul gave them a brief explanation of Pepa and the ship. They raised their eyebrows when he explained his Sergeant Pepa moniker.

"Wait, we named our latest LP after a space alien? And there really is a Yellow Submarine?" John said, shaking his head. "Mate, if I didn't know any better, I'd swear to God you were stoned off your arse because all of this is too fucking incredible to believe."

"But it's true. I really am from another universe."

"So our Paul really did die that night," John said before he swallowed hard.

"Look, if the Doctor can get the TARDIS back here, then we'll try to go back and save your Paul, but I can't stay and be him," Paul said. "I have a life back in the other universe and I have my own Beatles and Jane is now my wife and Tya is my child. I can't abandon them to come here and be your Paul."

"So…can we come with you then?" George said. "I mean, you have to have this TARDIS thing, right? So wouldn't it make sense for us to be with you to save time?"

"If you do, I have a few rules you must abide by," the Doctor said to them. "First off, if you come with us, you have to help us. No loafing around, no partying. We came here because we were in the middle of a battle and our ship got damaged and Pepa is repairing it so we can go back and help out Pepperland. I'm not gonna tolerate the three of you lying around the ship stoned out of your minds while the rest of us do the busy work. Now, having said that, I have to warn you that I don't know if even Pepa knows where we are, he made a dimensional jump in an emergency and he may have chosen a random universe which may mean he may not know how to get back here so if you leave there's a chance you'll never see this universe again, so think carefully about that. Finally…this man lying at my feet is now my responsibility, he will not be roughed up, tormented or be subjected to your revenge. Nor…will our Bill be treated like a piece of dirt because you equate him with this Bill. Our Bill is nothing like this man. I managed to save his mind and he is a very sweet, gentle, caring and courageous man and the last thing he needs is Beatles from another dimension screaming at him about how he helped kill your Paul. He's just as sickened at all this as you are, I can assure you so if you come along, I want you to be friendly towards him or at least be civil if you can't be friends. Those are my requests so think about what you want to do."

John, George and Ringo got in a huddle while the others waited. Paul glanced at the Beatles and got in close with his group.

"If they do come with us and we can't get back to this dimension, what do we do then?" Paul said softly to them.

"I'll find someplace to put them, even if it means taking them forward in time 2,000 years and putting them on a different planet where they can continue their singing career. Trust me, Paul, I'm not about to let one and ¾ sets of Beatles share the Earth in the same time frame. If we can't come back here, we'll find a way to accommodate them."

They looked at the Beatles when they broke out of the huddle.

"We agree to your requests," John said. "And we accept the risk of never coming back here. We talked it over and we figure if we have to go on without Paul or Brian, it really doesn't matter if we come back here or not. We'll risk never coming back here for the chance of possibly saving the two of them but our life here has turned dark and we'd rather not be reminded of their deaths if at all possible."

"I have a request as well," Paul said. "I want the three of you to detox and stay clean and sober, especially the acid. You don't need the acid. You need to be clean and sober and not wallow in misery or try to escape the pain with chemicals. You need to mourn your Paul and Brian's death and work through it and get past it or it'll completely destroy your lives and this band. I won't force ya, you're all adults. I'm just asking…no, begging you to abandon the drugs for good."

"He's right, John," George said to him. "You've been high for months now and it's taking a toll on your health. I know you don't care and you'd rather die than go on another day without Paul, but we need you."

"Yeah, we're still here, we can still continue with the band," Ringo said.

"How?" John said.

The Doctor came forward.

"If you'll allow me to work on him," he said, pointing to William, "I might be able to fix his mind so he's like our Bill and perhaps you can work with him then. I understand you hate working with him when he's an egomaniac, believe me, we watched his behavior in the restaurant downstairs and we wouldn't wanna be around him either. But if deep inside, he's like our Bill, then I think you won't have any trouble being friends with him and having him as a member of your band. Just give me a chance to see if there's still a way I can help him because believe it or not, he's as much a victim as you are."

John sighed and stared at William.

"If…you can fix him and make him not be a tyrannical asshole, I s'pose I could tolerate him," John said.

"If you speak with our Bill, I think you'd realize what this man could be if he were free of their mind control," Paul said. "I get along with him with no problem and he's the man that was set to replace me. In fact, I liked him so much that I adopted him as my brother. He's never shown any signs of betrayal. In fact, he's saved my Jane twice and he's protected me when Illuminati have tried to attack me. I trust our Bill with my life and I don't think for one minute that it's an act."

"Nor do I," the Doctor said as Amy and Rory voiced their agreement.

The Beatles nodded.

"So if we're leaving here, what do we do with him?" John said, pointing to William. "How do we get him out of here?"

"Do you have a limo?" Paul asked them.

John nodded.

"Amy, get that blanket off the bed," the Doctor said. "We'll wrap him up and try to hide him by grouping around him. We'll get him in the limo and take it to Hyde park."

Amy pulled a heavy red blanket off the bed and they grabbed William's arms and legs, put him in the center of it and loosely wrapped it around him. After the Beatles grabbed what they needed, all of them went outside and headed towards the lift.

Meanwhile, the rest of the Doctor's group made it back to the ship. After learning that the ship was ready to fly and telling them where the rest of the group was, they took a blanket outside, spread it on the grass in front of the ship and relaxed. Jane had used Paul's money to buy Tya a little red ball and a rag doll that resembled her. She held the rag doll in the crook of her left arm while she, John and Bill played catch. While they did that, Jane and Nog sat on another part of the blanket and chatted quietly. Tya threw the ball at Bill and they laughed when it hit Jane's arm.

"Oi, watch it there," she said as Tya ran to get it. "You'll give mummy's arm a bruise."

Tya picked up the ball and kissed Jane on the lips. She turned and giggled when she let the ball drop in front of Bill's face before she ran back to the edge of the blanket.

"S'pose that was her idea of throwing the ball," Bill said, picking it up and gently lobbing it her way.

Tya ran after the ball and picked it up. She stood up and spied Paul walking down the path with the others as they discreetly carried William's body.

"Paul! Paul!" Tya said, dropping the ball and running towards him.

"Hey!" Paul said with a huge grin, "here's daddy! You miss me?"

He let go of William and scooped her up, giving her a hug and a kiss while everyone on the blanket stood up and walked towards them. The Doctor directed everyone else to bring William towards the ship while Paul walked alongside them, carrying Tya.

"Pepa is ready," Bill said as he walked over to Paul, "he wants to know what you want to do, leave or stay. He won't stay more than one night though because he wants to get back to Pepperland."

"I believe we're going to go ahead and go," the Doctor said. "All of us, Beatles included."

Jane was taken aback by that but she reached down and picked up the ball and blanket and draped it over her arm as she followed the others inside.

"Heh, this ougtha be interesting then," she muttered to herself as she climbed up the ramp.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Pepa was surprised when they brought back extra people but he shrugged as he closed the hatch door.

"If they're willing to help, I'm willing to take them with me," he said as the Beatles gazed around the interior in amazement.

"Can you bring them back though?" the Doctor said.

"Not sure, I did an emergency jump and I'm not sure I can find this location again once we leave," Pepa said.

"That's what I was afraid of but they said they understood the risk and would accept it if we couldn't find a way back," he said to Pepa as he settled down in the co-pilot's chair beside him.

Pepa started up the ship and began to get them airborne.

"Everyone go back to the sleeping quarters because we're gonna make another jump," he said to them. "This one won't be as rough since I'm setting the coordinates for Pepaland but it'll still be bumpy going over the void."

The Doctor got up, took William in his arms and headed back to the sleeping quarters with the others. The Beatles followed behind the others and they all observed Bill as he walked beside Paul. Bill was giving Paul his wallet.

"Thanks, mate," Paul said to him, putting it in his pocket. "Did you find an ice cream shop then?"

"Oh yeah," Bill said. "Tya loved it. I think she's an ice cream addict now."

"Hey, after eating mammoth meat her entire life, I wouldn't doubt it!" he replied.

"Jane also took the liberty of getting her a ball and a doll," Bill added.

"I noticed that," Paul said as he looked down at Tya who was walking beside him, the doll in the crook in her arm and the ball in her left hand. "Good, at least she has something to distract her while we fight."

"I think Nog will look after her while we're fighting," Bill said to him.

"Good, because she needs a distraction as well," Paul said. "We volunteered to do this; they didn't so it's not fair to ask them to fight, especially since they're scared as it is."

Bill nodded and the Beatles glanced at each other.

"He seems like a decent bloke," Ringo muttered to George and John, "he certainly isn't an asshole like our William is. Maybe Paul was right about him."

They turned their attention back to Bill when they heard him speaking to Paul.

"You know, I've been thinking," he said to Paul as they reached the hatch and gathered around it.

He flinched and shut up when the other Beatles came up beside him.

"It's alright," Paul said. "I told them you're on our side and they promised not to harass you."

"We've been observing ya and listening in and I believe Paul now about you. You are definitely not like that arse over there," he said, pointing to William who was lying on the floor, still wrapped in the blanket. "We're not going to rough you up, believe me."

"Thank you, I'm not like him. I would never be that cruel, at least not if I was in my right mind," Bill replied.

"Well, let's hope that never happens," John said. "But go ahead with your thought, don't let us interrupt you."

"What were you thinking?" Paul said.

Bill looked at the Beatles.

"This won't make sense because you haven't seen the film but there's a Yellow Submarine film that the Beatles will make in a few years and this Pepperland we're going to is in it because the Diablons who we're fighting and who I think corrupted your Bill used the history of their invasion as the basis for this film."

"Okay," John said.

"Well, my thought is so far there have been many similarities between the film and real life," Bill said to Paul. "The way Pepperland looks, the pyramid, this ship looking like the Yellow Submarine, the invasion but now that I think about it, the similarities are continuing."

"How so?" Paul said while they waited for the others to go down.

"Well, if I remember correctly, in the film that captain took the Yellow Submarine away to find help when the invasion started and he found the Beatles. And now…"

He gave Paul a pointed look as he pointed to the Beatles beside him. Paul's eyes widened in understanding while John, George and Ringo gave him confused looks.

"And now, what?" John said.

Paul realized everyone else was down the hatch. He held up his finger and all of them followed the others down. Paul waited till the rest of them went down before he went down, grabbed the underside of the hatch and closed it. Once they were on the floor of the sleeping quarters, Paul led Bill and the Beatles over to the farthest bed and they sat down on it.

"He means that in the film, this old captain went searching for help and he found us, the Beatles, and we came back with him to help defeat the bad guys and save Pepperland…which is what we're doing, right now!" Paul said. "What's happening in this animated film is happening in real life."

"Which makes me wonder if this has all happened before and the Diablons put their defeat in the film because we did defeat them," Bill said.

Paul leaned back against the wall while he thought that over.

"If that's true, then we're at the part of the film where we entered the Yellow Submarine," he mused while the others listened. "Now…in the film, they didn't go directly to Pepperland, they went through all these different seas, yeah? Sea of Green, Sea of Science…"

"So you think that Pepa will make a mistake with the coordinates and we'll go somewhere else first before getting to Pepperland?" Bill asked while the Beatles glanced at each other.

"Dunno, but if we're living the film, we still have to find Jeremy, yeah? The little Nowhere Man bloke?"

"Isn't it fun when we come into the middle of something and have no idea what the hell's going on?" John said to George and Ringo.

"In the film, they end up in this blank place and they meet the Nowhere Man that lives there, a little beasty named Jeremy who also travels with them, that's what we're talking about," Paul said.

"So…we're about to end up nowhere and find a little beast person?" John said.

"If we're following the events in the film, yeah," Paul said.

"But wait," Bill said, "didn't they go through the Sea of Time first and age back and forth before finding Jeremy? I thought Jeremy came after the Sea of Monsters when the ship got sucked into that monster thing and he sucked up the world and his own tail and disappeared."

"And they're worried about us being on acid?" John said to George and Ringo, "sounds like they've been having a few trips of their own."

Paul ignored John and beckoned over the Doctor and John. He told them their thoughts and the Doctors glanced at each other.

"Blast, he's right," the Doctor said to John, "shoulda thought about that. Now I need to go up and make sure we do get to Pepperland on the first jump. John, look after everyone here."

"Aye aye, sir," John said, saluting him.

Jane was talking to Nog on the bed nearest the ladder while they babysit Tya.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" Jane said when she saw him sprinting up the ladder.

"Let Paul explain," the Doctor said as he went up.

Jane looked at Rory and Amy who were sitting on the bed across the way. As one, all of them got up and walked over to Paul. Paul explained what was going on and Amy groaned when they were finished.

"Great, I can't wait to be a baby again and get sucked up by the vacuum cleaner monster," she said, throwing her hands up in the air.

"But that's what happens next, right? The Sea of Time thing?" Bill asked.

Amy and Rory glanced at each other.

"I think so. I think they went through Sea of Time, then Sea of Science, then Sea of Monsters, then the nothing space where they met Jeremy and then they found the Sea of Holes and then the Sea of Green and that took them back to Pepperland."

"Wait, what about the part where John finds all the heads and sings Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds and…"

Rory trailed off when he realized John was staring at him intently.

"Oh, don't mind me, do go on," John said with a wry grin as everyone laughed. "I'm eager to find out when I have to sing to a bunch of heads. When does that happen?"

"Gee, should we all go up and romp around the sub while we sing All Together Now?" Paul said dryly. "Because apparently our singing makes the sub go so we better get up there and do a song and dance routine before we break down again."

They paused when they felt the sub vibrating.

"Okay, I assume this is crossing the void," Rory said. "So everyone keep listening for the Doctor to start cursing and we'll know we didn't make it back to Pepperland."

They waited and Paul held onto Tya while they crossed. Then the vibration ceased and all of them listened for any sign of anger from the Doctor. After thirty seconds, Paul walked over, climbed the ladder and lifted up the hatch.

"Doctor, did we make it?" he yelled. "Did we make it to Pepperland?'

He didn't hear anything at first and then he saw the Doctor walking towards them. Paul leaned his head back when he got down on his hands and knees and looked inside.

"Everyone, get ready to experience a second childhood. I think we just jumped into the Sea of Time dimension," he said with a sigh.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

Pepa sat in his chair and gave a little sheepish smile to everyone as they stood around him, glaring at him silently.

"I…thought I fixed the ship," he said nervously.

"Well, obviously not since we're not in Pepperland," the Doctor said, pointing out the window.

Outside the window there was a field filled with purple grass. Paul was momentarily amused when he heard John comment about how he was sure the acid he took earlier had kicked up a notch. Paul informed him that no, it wasn't the acid, there was actual purple grass outside. John looked at him.

"See lots of purple grass travelin' with him, Paulie?" he said, gesturing to the Doctor. "Seem pretty calm about it all."

"I've seen lots of things since the Doctor's entered my life and yes, it's become de rigueur with me now."

"Ooo, listen to him with the French," he said to George and Ringo, "apparently our Paul wasn't the only one who read heaps of books so he could improve himself."

Paul ignored him as he looked out the window. Besides the purple grass, he could see rocks that looked like any rocks you would find on Earth, some large, some small. There were a few trees with leaves that matched the color of the grass and a sort of pale pinkish sky that provided an odd contrast to the purple grass and foliage. One sun hung in the sky and at the moment there were no signs of wildlife. Paul tried to look for something else outside of the window but there was nothing else that he could see with his limited range of vision. He looked around at everyone, half expecting them to be toddlers at any moment. Then it occurred to him that he couldn't see any hourglasses or Father Time clock statues. He wondered how the Doctor arrived at the conclusion that they were in the Sea of Time. He moved around the group and stood beside him while he was talking to Pepa who was sitting in his pilot's chair. He leaned his head forward and his eyes widened when he spotted a ten foot hourglass just barely visible outside the window.

"Damn," he murmured.

"What is it?"

He looked back at Bill and beckoned to him. Bill leaned up in front of him as he pointed out the hourglass. Bill jerked back up and Paul chuckled when he started to examine himself and everyone else.

"Yeah, already had the same thought, mate."

"Are we though?" Bill said to him. "I really don't wanna regress back to my childhood."

"Yeah, well, I don't wanna end up an old codger with my beard down to my shoes," Paul replied, leaning back up. "But I'm not concerned for us so much as for Tya. If we regress, what'll happen to her. I mean, she's only…"

Paul frowned.

"Wait, exactly how old is she?" he said to Bill. "I mean, we never really determined that and I doubt Tya would know. I wonder if there's a way we can find out for sure."

He felt a tap on his shoulder and turned to see Ten smiling at him.

"Sorry, couldn't help but overhear. There is a scanning device in the TARDIS that works like an X-ray. It would scan her body and measure things like bone growth to give you an exact age."

"Thank you, I'd like to know since I want to give her a proper birthday and…oh hell, I'm sure Tya doesn't know her birthday either."

"Why not make today her birthday?" Bill said, "this is the day you adopted her."

"What day is it?" Paul asked him.

"Um…August 25th," Bill said.

"Perfect, August 25th it is then, be right back, gotta tell Jane. Just…don't become a baby on me."

"I'll try very hard not to, believe me," Bill said as Paul snickered and patted his shoulder.

While Paul went to talk to Jane, Ten came up beside Bill.

"So…no aging happening yet then," Ten said.

"Yeah…what about you? I mean, you said you had multiple lives, right?"

"I don't. I'm human, remember. If I age, I'll age in this body. Now he…" he said, pointing to the Doctor. "No telling what he might do, we'll just have to watch."

They fell silent when Pepa finally got up and excused himself, telling everyone he was going to try to determine what the problem was. He hurried back to the engine room while everyone watched him leave.

"Well, gee, why don't we just pull out the motor and go find Jeremy," Amy said. "That was the problem in the film, yeah?"

"I just wonder how long it'll be until we start becoming babies," Rory said, leaning back against the wall.

"And you lot are so sure this whole aging thing will happen?" George said.

"No, but that's what happened in the film and Bill's right, so far, a lot of the things that have happened in the film have happened in real life," the Doctor said. "Having said that, I better make sure your William is going to stay unconscious. I don't want him doing something to us the moment we become babies."

"Yes, make sure the wanker stays out of trouble," John said. "The last thing I want is to be a baby and have that bastard standing over me gloating before he knifes me to death."

The Doctor walked back towards the sleeping quarters.

"We oughta leave him outside the door and go on," John muttered to George and Ringo. "I seriously doubt that Doctor will be able to fix him, Bill or no Bill."

"Give him a chance, John," George said. "If the Doctor can get him to act like their Bill, I wouldn't mind having him around."

"All the same, I hope the Doctor can keep him unconscious," John said.

He felt a tug on his trouser leg and smiled when he saw Tya smiling up at him.

"Hello," Tya said, letting go of his trousers.

"Hi, you're Paul's little girl, eh?" John said, squatting down beside her. "You're a cutie."

Tya walked over and kissed his cheek.

"Awww, you're a little flirt, you know that?" John teased as Tya stepped back.

John glanced up when Paul stepped up behind Tya.

"Quit that flirtin'," Paul teased as Tya looked up at him, "you're too young to be makin' advances on Lennon. Shame on you."

"Paul!" Tya said happily as she reached for his hand.

John smiled as he leaned back up and watched while Paul took her hand.

"She's very cute," John said.

"She is. She's going to be spoiled rotten if I have anything to say about it," Paul replied. "She's gonna be my little pretty pampered princess. Maybe I'll teach her to play guitar. I'm teaching Bill since he went on to have a solo career before the Doctor changed things. I heard the solo stuff and I don't want most of the songs and I figure I could teach Bill to be a singer and let him have a bit of success."

"You really do like him, don't you?" John said.

"John, you've seen him. Surely you know by now that he's nothing like your William. He's not a threat to me. I want to help him. He's had a rough life and we have reason to suspect he was abused as a child. He has repressed memories that the Doctor's gonna look at when he gets a spare moment. He doesn't want to be me but he said he would like to give a singing career a try using his own name so I'm gonna take him under my wing and turn him into a superstar."

"So in other words you're the rock and roll Henry Higgins," John said.

"Yes, I'm Henry Higgins and this is My Fair Lady, Beatles style," Paul said. "Bill is my Audrey Hepburn!"

He giggled when Bill jerked his head over towards Paul.

"I'm what?" he said, coming over to him.

Paul explained what they were talking about and Bill rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm Audrey Hepburn and you're Rex Harrison," he said dryly while everyone laughed.

"Yes, you are, Bill. Now repeat after me, the rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain," Paul said.

"No, thanks," Bill said.

"How about this then," Amy said, walking over to him before she broke into song. "Someone's knockin' on the door, somebody's ringin' the bell!"

"No, that's one of the songs of mine I don't want," Bill said while he and Paul laughed. "That's one of the most idiotic things I've ever heard in my life. You want that song for your own, you're welcome to have it!"

"What about it, Pond? Told ya that you could be a singing sensation, I could still ask Brian to sign you up when I ever get back to my time."

"If you get back to your time," Amy said.

"Okay, IF I ever get back to my time, I'll ask him and once he signs you up, I'll give that song to…"

Bill tapped him on the shoulder and Paul shut up and looked at him. Bill nodded at the Beatles and he saw the pained look in their eyes and realized why they looked so anguished.

"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have mentioned Brian," he said, holding up his hands.

"No, It's alright," John said. "You shouldn't have to censor yourself around us. But…just out of curiosity…what we told you about our Paul's death, is that what happened to you…or don't you remember since you were saved?"

Paul paused in thought. He continued to think while Tya tugged as his sleeve and he bent down to pick her up.

"Um…see, I'm not really sure because actually Amy here became part of events. I do know that Brian was nowhere near us the night it happened…"

He gave them a brief explanation of what happened to him and Amy. The Beatles flinched when he described Johnson being beheaded. Once he finished, he shrugged.

"That's how it happened to me. It may have been different if Amy hadn't been around but the only similarity with your Paul is the car being run off the road. Amy ended up saving my life though, I'm sure they would have beheaded me if she hadn't begged them. So actually, in gratitude, I made her my adopted sister so she's my sister and Bill's my brother."

"So in other words, you have your family here with you on this little excursion," John said.

They laughed as Paul grinned and shrugged.

"Yeah, sister, brother, brother-in-law, wife and daughter. I'm on a family outing here," Paul said. "And it's fun. There is danger but it makes me feel like I'm back in the Hamburg days, fun and danger and new experiences. I still want to be a Beatle and my Beatles want to come with me but they're helping their wives and families and my dad settle in on another planet in a new house and…"

He shut up when they suddenly heard someone banging on the hatch door.

"Hey, someone's knocking on the door…" he said, pointing off in the distance.

"Somebody's ringing the bell," Amy sang. "Someone's knocking on the door, somebody's ringing the bell, do me a favor…"

She laughed and ducked when Paul tried to smack her head. The knocking continued and everyone glanced at each other.

"What do we do?" Rory asked.

The knocking continued, becoming louder and more insistent. Finally, Ten shrugged.

"What the hell, I'm curious enough," he said, walking away.

Everyone glanced at each other and followed him as he walked towards the doorway.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

It was only when Ten got up to the hatch door that he realized he didn't know how to open it. The knocking continued, getting more and more insistent.

"Oi! Knock it off!" Ten yelled through the hatch, "who are you and what do you want?"

The knocking stopped and there was a long pause.

"Matza," a high-pitched voice finally said. "I have some things to sell that you might like to see. Could you open the door and let me show you my wares?"

Ten looked at everyone.

"Should we? What do you lot think?" he asked them.

"What the hell, I'm curious enough," John replied. "Like Amy said, open the door and let em in."

"Wait a tic, we'll try to open the door," Ten said before he ran back to the console.

"So is this the danger and excitement you were hankering for, Paulie?" John asked while they waited.

"Beats waiting around in here," Paul said with a shrug. "There was never any Matza in the film so this must be something new."

"And since we aren't wetting outselves and sucking our thumbs, I'm assuming that we're not following this film of yours exactly," John replied.

"No, I mean we're only saying that there are a lot of similarities. I didn't say we're following the film exactly," Paul replied.

They stepped back when the hatch suddenly lowered out followed by Ten yelling, "Found it!" to them. As the hatch lowered, they saw a short, plump man with wizened skin and a long snow white beard that reached down his chest. He blinked and smiled warmly at them. He was dressed in a red toga and had a small wooden tray with different compartments in it. The tray was suspended around his neck by a leather strap.

"Dear God, we've landed on an alien planet and found Father Christmas," John said to George and Ringo.

"Hello there," Matza said in a high-pitched voice, "welcome to the planet Denarius. I run the Matza's Any Age Emporium and I specialize in giving people a chance to be older or younger than they are now."

"John!" Jane yelled, "close the door now!"

"What's wrong? Don't any of you want to be younger or older? It's not much, my potions are only 5 credits each for a tablet and 10 credits for a spray bottle," he said, glancing down at the multicolored pills in his tray and the multicolored liquids in tiny spray bottles. "Would you like a free sample?"

"No, we're not interested," Paul said, "just go away, now!"

The door began to raise up to their relief, but to their horror, the annoyed Matza pulled out a spray bottle with some purple liquid in it, aimed it at Bill who was nearest the door and managed to spray some in his face before the door went up. Bill coughed and gagged while Paul and Jane pulled him away from the door. Amy and Rory screamed curses at the door while Paul and Jane examined Bill. They saw liquid droplets on his face and they noticed with alarm that he looked pale as he coughed and gagged.

"God, what'd that bastard do?" Paul said.

His eyes widened when he suddenly saw Bill begin to rapidly age between his eyes. By this time, Ten had returned. He saw his friend aging and ran over to Paul's side while Amy let out a curse.

"Hey!" she screamed through the door, "what'd you do to him, you bastard?"

"I gave him a free sample of my aging elixir," Matza said through the door, "if you need the antidote, it's 20 credits."

"Fuck!" Amy said. "The bastard's blackmailin' us! Give us the antidote for free, you bastard!"

By this time, the Doctor, hearing the commotion, came up to the door. He took one look at Bill who now looked like he was in his early '60's and cursed.

"Amy, what's going on?" he said, running to her.

Amy told him what happened and the Doctor groaned and turned to face Ten.

"Why'd you do that?" he demanded. "You just decided to open the door and take a look?"

"Oh…like you wouldn't have done the same thing!" Ten shot back at him.

Eleven opened his mouth to protest and then shut it when he realized he was right. He ran over to Bill and checked him. He cursed again when he saw he was now approximately 70 years old. He was sitting on the floor while Paul and Jane knelt beside him. His hair had thinned out and he had a full beard and liver spots were all over his hands and arms. He looked at the Doctor.

"Is this gonna stop?" he said in an aged voice, "or am I just gonna keep aging till I die?"

John, who had been observing all this, was surprised when he felt anger at Matza for what he did. But then he realized that he genuinely liked Bill and he didn't want to see him age to death. He walked over to the door.

"Oi, are you still there?" John yelled through the door. "You better give us the antidote so we can restore our friend, you hear me?"

"I will give you the antidote for 20 credits," Matza replied calmly.

"You'll give me the antidote in exchange for a fist through the face and that's all you're getting out of us!" John screamed. "You had no right to do that to him!"

"Well, you had no right to land your…thing in my garden!" Matza yelled back. "You squished my floridendron patch. Those were prized flowers!"

John sighed angrily and threw up his hands. He walked over to Bill who was now sitting on the floor while the others gathered around him, worried out of their minds that any minute he would die on them. The Doctor looked at Ten.

"Go and open the hatch. I'm afraid we're gonna have to negotiate with this git," he said to him.

Ten nodded and ran back to the console room. The Doctor knelt down beside Bill. Bill gave him a weak smile.

"Gee, should we all break into a rousing chorus of When I'm 64 now?" he quipped.

The Doctor chuckled.

"Not till your beard is down to your shoes, mate," he said fondly.

"I think I'll be dead before that happens," he replied.

"Not on my watch," the Doctor said with steely determination.

The other Beatles knelt down beside him and the Doctor stood up while the hatch door lowered. Bill was now visibly scared and Paul was angry while he watched his brother slowly age in front of his eyes.

"Just keep calm," Paul said to him. "Doctor will get you out of this."

Nog knelt down next to Bill.

"What's happening?" she said fearfully.

They tried to explain it to her while the Doctor stepped down the hatch towards Matza who had a smug look on his face. The smugness quickly vanished when the Doctor seized him by his toga.

"Restore my friend!" he snarled as he pointed back to Bill.

"20 credits," Matza said.

He gasped when the Doctor jerked his toga.

"You won't get any credits since you did this to him without his permission! Now give us the antidote!"

Meanwhile, Bill was watching him with eyes that were slowly losing focus. John was watching him and he turned his eyes to Paul and saw how scared he was that Bill was going to die in front of him. He realized then how much the man meant to him and fury gripped his mind while he tried to restrain himself from going down the ramp and beating the crap outta Matza who was still trying to get the Doctor to give him 20 credits. He looked at Bill who now looked like he was nearly 90. Bill was closing his eyes which scared everyone even more since his breathing was becoming shallow. He reached out and grabbed Bill's arm.

"Hey, don't go dying on us, you hear?" he said to Bill when he opened his eyes. "I've seen enough death in my life; I don't wanna see one more."

"Yeah, but I don't think he's gonna give us the antidote," Bill said weakly. "So you might not have a choice."

Paul growled deep in his throat as he got to his feet. He ran down the ramp.

"Doctor, please just pay him whatever these credit things are, Bill's nearly dead!" he said.

The Doctor sighed angrily and whipped out a credit stick. Matza smugly ran it through a scanner located on the back of his tray.

"Now give us the antidote!" the Doctor snarled as he snatched the credit stick out of his hand.

Matza gave him a spray bottle with clear liquid in it and instructed the Doctor to spray it in Bill's face. The Doctor quickly hurried up the ramp and Matza turned to leave. He grunted when someone seized his arm and gasped when Paul spun him around and grabbed his toga, his eyes blazing with rage.

"Don't you even think of leaving this spot until he's back to normal!" Paul snarled at him. "Because if my brother dies, you die! And don't think for one moment I'm not capable of doing it because I'll tear you limb from limb if Bill stops breathing!"

Matza swallowed hard when he saw that the man meant what he said.

"The antidote will work," he said nervously, "look!"

He pointed up to Bill and Paul turned his head to look at him. Bill's eyes were open and he was breathing more normally while he slowly returned to normal. Paul looked at Matza.

"It'll stop when he reaches his proper age? He won't just go past thirty and become a fetus?"

"No, he'll stop at his proper age," Matza said, insulted. "I know what I'm doing."

"I'm not so sure of that."

He looked up at Bill and noticed that he now looked like he was in his fifties while everyone around him breathed sighs of relief.

"So…I s'pose I was the one that they used when they did the whole aging sequence in the film?" Bill said to everyone.

"You had us scared half to death, ya git," Amy teased as she gave him a light punch in the arm.

"I had YOU scared to death?" Bill said to her while everyone laughed.

By now he was nearly back to normal. Paul continued to hold onto Matza's toga while he and the others nervously watched Bill's progress.

"Let me go, he's fine!" Matza said.

"No, not till we're sure. I'm not gonna have you run back in your house and lock us out!" Paul said, pointing to a small white house that was beside the hourglass. "You already proved to us that you're untrustworthy and I'm gonna make sure Bill is back to his old self before I let you go."

By now Bill was back to being a thirty year old man. He sat still for a moment while everyone watched him closely, fearful he'd keep going. But after a couple of minutes, Bill shrugged.

"I think it's stopped," he said.

Paul let go of Matza's toga as everyone hugged him.

"Go away," Paul said to Matza.

"Get out of my flower bed," Matza shot back.

"Happy to, we'll leave as soon as we can, trust me," Paul retorted as he went back up the ramp towards Bill.

Matza grumbled under his breath, muttering curses at them as he stomped back to his house. Paul knelt down beside Bill and gave him a firm hug while the Doctor ran to close the hatch.

"Good to have ya back, mate," Paul said.

"Well, I really couldn't die just yet. Gotta be in the Beatles version of My Fair Lady, you know," Bill replied.

Everyone laughed while Paul nodded.

"That's right, Audrey, you got some guitar lessons coming to ya."

"Gee, Rex, I can't wait," Bill said dryly.

Paul gave him another hug. Bill returned it and then looked around.

"Hey, where's John?" he said when he noticed Ten was missing.

"I'm right here," John Lennon said.

Bill looked at him and groaned.

"Oh no. Um…I meant the Doctor's duplicate. We were calling them both Doctor and we asked if he could go by a different name so it wouldn't cause confusion and he told us to call him John Smith but that was before you came on board so now I suppose we'll have to call him something else. But never mind that, where is the other Doctor?"

"I think he headed towards the back after he opened the hatch," Ringo said. "Maybe went down to the sleeping quarters?"

Bill nodded and got up off the floor.

"I have a feeling he's blaming himself for this and It's not his fault," he said.

He started to head back to the sleeping quarters when the Doctor came up to him. He smiled warmly and hugged him.

"Good, I'm glad you stopped at your proper age. Nice to have you back," he said.

"Thanks. I'm just going to find the other Doctor. I think he's blaming himself for all this and it's not his fault. He opened the door but no one stopped him, we all wanted to see who it was just as badly as he did."

"I know. I think he did go back to the sleeping quarters. Tell him if you see him that I'm not angry because he was correct that I would have done the same. In the meantime, I'm going to see what Pepa's up to before we get in an even bigger mess."

He patted Bill's arm and he walked back to the back of the ship while Bill followed. The others chatted and stayed near the front while Bill headed to the hatch that led to the sleeping quarters. He noticed the hatch door had been left open so he went ahead and climbed down the ladder. As he climbed down, he saw Ten sitting in the back of the room on the lowest bed looking sad and dejected. When he met Bill's eyes, his own eyes lit up and a grin spread over his face.

"You're alright," he said happily.

"Yeah, we went ahead and gave the bastard the 20 credits because I nearly snuffed it but thankfully, the antidote didn't change me into an infant."

"Bill, I'm sorry…"

Bill held up his hand as he walked towards him.

"Figured that's why you swanned off and I wanted to tell you that it's not your fault. No one's mad at you, not even the other Doctor. We all wanted to see who it was just as much as you did."

"Yeah, but that was a reckless thing to do," Ten said as Bill sat down beside him.

"Yeah, perhaps, but I'm getting used to doing reckless things since I started doing this," he replied.

He chuckled.

"Since we've traveled with the Doctor, we've seen so many wonderous things, like those DVD films. And now I can actually quote from one film now. We coulda stopped ya, it is possible to stop the great Ferris Bueller, you know."

Ten laughed and nodded.

"Great film," Ten said.

"I agree. I think Paul and I are thinking about not even going back to our time when and if we ever decide to stop this time traveling. We've had a taste of the future and we both like it too much. We're addicted to future things now."

"Oh, I see, so the Beatles will mysteriously disappear for several years and suddenly at some point in future, they return and to everyone's shock, they haven't aged a bit."

Bill laughed.

"Yup, that'll really get the fans wondering about them. From what I've seen, some of them do think of them as gods, perhaps if they disappear and show up later without aging, it'll confirm that."

"And what about you? You are going to try a music career?" Ten said.

"Yeah, I'd like to have the same kind of success as Paul. If I even had a tenth of his success, I'd be happy."

"So you are Audrey Hepburn then."

He laughed when Bill rolled his eyes.

"I have to say, they come up with weird ideas, Paul and his friends. But I like their sense of humor."

"Yeah, I do too," Ten replied.

His eyes glanced up and Bill followed his gaze. They watched Nog climbing down the stairs.

"Bill?" she said. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm alright, Nog," Bill said as she walked over to them. "I'm not getting any younger so the antidote must have worked."

"I'm glad. I was scared," Nog said.

Ten raised his eyebrow when Nog sat down beside Bill and laid her hand against his cheek. He looked at his friend and saw how shocked he looked and a grin spread over the human Time Lord's face when he realized why Nog was always constantly hanging around Bill. His smile widened when Nog leaned in and kissed Bill's lips. Bill hesitated a moment and then returned it.

"Hmm, perhaps I should leave you alone then?" Ten said in an amused voice.

Nog finished the kiss and Ten chuckled at the stunned look on Bill's face.

"Um, Nog…does this mean you…love me?" he said in disbelief.

Nog smiled and nodded. Bill stunned expression turned into a pleased one and he leaned in to kiss her again.

"Yup, definitely gonna leave you two kids alone now," Ten said as he got up.

Just then there was a huge BOOM and the three of them screamed as the ship suddenly lurched and rapidly picked up speed. Bill grabbed Nog and all of them got on the floor as the ship zoomed away.

"Now what?" Ten said as they listened to the terrified yells and screams of their friends and family above them.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

Ten, Bill and Nog held onto each other for dear life as the ship zoomed along. They could hear screams from the others and in the distance; they heard the Doctor screaming at Pepa to slow the ship down before they all died. There was another lurch and William, who had been lying on the top bed nearest the latter fell off and crashed to the floor. They glanced at them and saw he was still unconscious but now he was lying on the floor on his face. Bill hesitated a moment and then crawled over to his counterpart. He rolled him on his back so he could breathe and noticed blood was trickling out of his left nostril.

"Not that I care for the man at present but if the Doctor can save him, I don't want him dying on us," Bill said to them.

"We need some rope to secure him somewhere in case this happens again," Ten said to him.

There was another violent lurch that made them gasp and then the ship finally slowed down enough that they were able to stand up. All of them were shaken and Bill took Nog's hand when she came over to him. They heard Paul calling for them and they called back. A few seconds later, Paul lay on his stomach in front of the hole and looked down at them.

"You lot okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, a bit shaken. He fell off the top bed though," Ten said, pointing to William. "We need some rope to secure him so he doesn't get injured through all this."

"Maybe the Doctor knows where we can find some. Surely this ship has to have a cupboard of some sort," he said.

He smiled when Jane got down on her stomach beside him.

"Hurray, you're still thirty," Jane said to Bill.

"Yes, I'm still the same age, touch wood," Bill said. "Do you have any idea what happened?"

"Dunno, we were talking and we heard this boom and the ship suddenly sped up," Jane said. "It knocked us to the floor and when it finally stopped, we looked out and I…think we're moving through outer space. All there is outside is blackness and a few stars. Amy and Rory went back to see if they could find out what happened from the Doctor."

"So we've moved again?" Bill said. "We're now in the…Sea of Science?"

"Maybe," Paul said, "hope not though. I don't wanna go through anymore mishaps."

"What's this, a conference?" John said.

He got down on his stomach on the other side of Paul. He smirked when he saw William.

"Hey, Evil Bill's busted his nose, tee hee," he said gleefully. "While Nice and Gentle Bill has nary a scratch on him. Good. That's what I like to see. Glad the other Doctor is safe as well. I must say this is turning into quite a fun little adventure. I can see why Paulie likes it. Course I'm sure you didn't much like turning 100, Bill, but at least you landed up safe and sound. Now all we have to do is figure out where we are."

As he said that, Amy came up and lay down on the floor beside Jane. She groaned and lowered her head to the floor, lightly banging it repeatedly on the floor.

"Oh no, now what?" Paul said.

Amy sighed, lifted her head and looked at them.

"Talked to the Doctor, think I found out the problem. Seems Pepa doesn't really know how to fly this ship."

"What?" Jane said, "I thought this was his ship."

"It is…but…you see, according to him, he inherited it from the former Sergeant and he didn't have time to learn everything about it before he loaded us into it and took off."

"So we're being driven around by someone who has no idea what he's doing," Paul said.

"Wouldn't say no experience, he just has minimal experience," Amy said while they groaned. "And on top of it, the ship's got wonky wiring, that's what the Doctor says after inspecting it."

"But he can fix it?" Jane said, hopefully.

"Yeah, but he wanted me to come and tell his human counterpart that he needs his assistance," Amy said.

They all got up off the floor and stood back when Ten started to come up the ladder. Bill and Nog followed him after he got out and went off to find the Doctor.

"We need to go find Pepa and ask him about some rope so we can secure William," he said to them. "And…uh…apparently Nog's fallen in love with me."

Everyone did a double take and smiles spread over their faces.

"So that's why you've been following him around all over the place," Paul said to Nog. "Is that true? Do you love him?"

Nog nodded shyly.

"And you? Are you returning her love?" John asked.

Bill smiled and squeezed her hand.

"Yeah, I am," he said as they cheered. "She's a nice woman and she needs someone."

"I have a question though," John said. "Paul told me where she and Tya came from. My question is are you going to keep those names because they're a bit strange for the modern world. Shouldn't you change them a bit and make them sound more 1960'sish."

"What do you suggest?" Paul asked.

"Well…Tya...Dunno…Tia, maybe?"

Paul and Jane looked at each other.

"Tia is pretty but would she accept that?" Paul asked her.

"One way to find out. Be back, I think Rory's minding her right now."

"What about you, love?" Bill asked Nog.

"What's going on?" Nog said.

"Well, see…" Bill said. "Blimey, how to word this…um…Nog isn't really a name where I come from. Nog is more like a drink at Christmastime. If you like Nog, that's fine but if you're coming back to my time, you might want to have a different name so people won't make fun of you. It's up to you, if you like Nog, we'll use it but we want you to have as normal a modern life as you can and that might mean taking a new name."

"Do you want me to do this?" Nog asked.

"I want you to do what you're comfortable with," Bill said. "I won't force you to do anything. Lord knows I've had enough of that in my own life. If you want a new name, that's fine. If you want to stick with Nog, that's fine, it's your decision. In our time, women have more of an equal say and more freedom than you did living in a cave."

Nog thought about it for a moment and then nodded.

"If changing my name is what I must do to be with you, then I will."

Paul, Amy and John laughed and ooooed as Bill widened his eyes. They nudged each other at the delighted look on his face and the adoring look on Nog's. While they were doing that, Jane walked up with Tya.

"I asked Tya if she'd like to be Tia and she said she wanted to do that," Jane said.

"Do you want us to call you Tia, love?" Paul asked her.

"Yes, Tia is pretty. You call me Tia!"

They laughed at the demanding way she said that.

"Yes, ma'am," Paul said as they laughed harder.

He picked her up and kissed her cheek.

"I'll call you Tia then," he said in the same demanding tone while everyone continued to laugh. "What about you, Bill. Ya gotta name your sweetie now!"

"Name her what?" Bill said as everyone laughed. "Um…wow…as if I don't have 8 billion names to choose from here."

They giggled when Bill started thinking while Nog watched. Paul stared at her, her beautiful face, her long brown hair and brown eyes and thought about how perfect she was for his brother. He had to admit the conversion made her into a stunning woman. As he stared at her, he began to chuckle and he clicked his fingers.

"Bill, may I make a suggestion?" he said to him.

"Please."

"Damn, don't have my guitar with me but…"

Paul walked up to Nog, took her hand and began to sing…

"Michelle, my belle, these are words that go together well, my Michelle."

Bill, John, Amy and Jane shared a look and all of them nodded. Bill looked at Nog.

"Do you like Michelle?" he asked her.

Nog thought for a moment and then nodded.

"First chance we get, I'm teaching you to play the song on guitar so you can sing it to her," Paul said to Bill. "Let it be her song."

"Thank you."

"Anytime. When you become a famous rock and roll star, you tell the world before you sing it that it's the name I suggested your wife use."

They giggled when Bill turned beet red.

"Ahem, we just started this relationship, Rex, I'm not going down on one knee just yet."

"Thousand pardons, Audrey," Paul said. "Just my usual jumping the gun, knee jerk reaction. Damn, now I gotta write a song about Audrey so he'll have a song."

They laughed when Bill tried to swat his head.

"Oho, you wanna fight, eh?" Paul teased as he balled up his fists.

"Commander, are we set to attack, sir?" John said to Paul as he saluted him. "Shall I beat the bally git into submission, sir?"

"Um…nah, we need to do a sneak attack, engage in guerilla warfare so we can take the bally git by surprise."

"Aye aye, sir. Shall I swab the deck in the meantime?"

"Yes," Paul said while they laughed. "And be sure to walk the plank while you dance the hornpipe."

"Aye aye, Cap'n," John said.

"You guys are insane," Amy said with a giggle.

"Aye, but ya have to be insane in an insane world," Paul said. "Keeps people on their toes if you act all barmy around them."

"Yeah," John said. "All you gotta do is run up to people and scream in their face and they'll be sure to make a wide berth around ya."

"Speaking from experience, are ya, Lennon?" Amy said as the others laughed.

"Naturally. I can't begin to tell you how many heart attacks I've given, just by sneaking up behind someone and saying, "BOO!" and then I watch them soil themselves. It's great fun!"

"Suddenly, I'm not sure I want Michelle around you lot," Bill said.

"I'm feeling the same way about Tia," Jane added.

"No, can't have my Tia," Paul said, hugging her close. "She's my pretty, pampered princess Tia and I love her."

Paul looked behind him when he felt a tap on his shoulder.

"Hi, is the Doctor around?" Rory asked him.

"I think he and the other Doctor are working on fixing the ship, why?" Paul said.

"Because we're heading straight for a planet and I think one of them needs to get up to the front and change course before we smack into it," Rory said.

Everyone looked at each other and hurried towards the back of the ship as fast as they could go.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The Doctor and Ten walked with Pepa up to the front as soon as they heard what was happening.

"I trust you know basic steering so we can just go around the planet instead of crash landing into it," the Doctor said as they walked.

"Yes, I know how to steer her. Look, I'm sorry, I've never done a dimensional jump before and I'm trying to get us back by trial and error."

"Bang goes our chance to return to our universe then," John said to Paul.

"You might still get back home if the Doctor can sort things out," Paul said.

"He might but I'm not holding my breath after everything I've seen here," John replied.

George and Ringo were standing in front of the console looking out the window at a huge planet with green and brown land and blue waters that resembled Earth. They were so close they could make out mountains and valleys on the surface. Both Beatles looked back at them.

"Um…you can fix this, right?" George said nervously.

"Yeah, cause I know we said we didn't feel like going on with our Paul dead but I think we've changed our minds now," Ringo said. "I'd very much like to live and not become a crater on the surface of this planet."

They moved back when Pepa and the two Doctors came up to the front. They stood around them while the three of them worked feverishly to avoid a collision with the planet. As they continued to move closer, Jane squinted her eyes when she thought she saw something down below on the surface of the planet.

"Doctor," she said.

"Yes?" the Doctor said, look at her.

"Um…I thought I saw a white flash just below us, is that significant?" Jane said.

"What do you mean?" the Doctor asked.

He beckoned to her and she came up next to him. The Doctor asked her to point where the flash was at and she pointed to a desert area straight ahead of them.

"There was this huge flash sort of what you would see when a camera flash goes off. It happened while you were working," Jane said to him.

Ten continued to work with Pepa while the Doctor, Jane and everyone else stared at the window. Then suddenly they saw a large white flash.

"See?" Jane said, "does that mean anything?"

"I think it means we should stop working on getting the ship out of the way because we are caught in a tractor beam," the Doctor said.

Ten and Pepa stopped working.

"We are?" Pepa said in shock.

"The flash was the tractor beam resetting itself. It's a primitive model. Older models can't hold on to objects for very long and the operator has to reset the beam to have it fire again so it can continue to pull us in."

"So that means we could try to find out when the beam ran out and try to get away?" Paul asked.

"Perhaps but I have to wait till there's another flash so I can count how much time there is in between," the Doctor said. "And in that time we might be pulled down onto the planet's surface. And even if we do determine the time between flashes, we'd have to wait for the time before the next flash and again, we may not have time to do that."

"So what do we do?" Amy asked.

The Doctor thought.

"Let's split up into two groups. One group goes outside with whoever is capturing us. The other hides in here and guards the ship. I'll take one group and John Smith will take the other."

"I'll stay in here then since I'm human, less risky," John Smith said.

"Jane, love, you better stay with him then so you can look after Tia," Paul said to her. "I'll go with the Doctor."

"I'll stay with Michelle and help look after her and Tia then," Bill said.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather stay here on the ship. I'm not as skilled at this thing as Paulie is," John said.

George and Ringo agreed with that and the Doctor nodded. In the end, Paul, Amy, Rory and Pepa agreed to go with him. While the ship was being pulled in, Pepa led them to a hidded storage room under the floor of the ship. They went down and found some rope and the Beatles and Paul quickly went to retrieve William while John Smith, Bill and Jane went down with Tia and Michelle. They found a couple of electric lanterns and some extra blankets and spread them on the floor in one corner of the room opposite some bolted down shelves that contained several items. Jane put Tia on a blue blanket and kept her occupied with the ball and doll while the others helped the Beatles lowered the tied up William down into the room. The Doctor and Rory put him on a blanket in the corner beside the blankets and then they folded the blanket over him, swaddling him in it before they tied it again.

"I don't think he'll wake up without assistance but you never know," the Doctor said.

He thought for a moment and reached into his trouser pocket. He pulled out a handkerchief and used it to put a gag on him, securing it with duct tape he found on the shelves."

"Just in case he does wake up and starts yelling," the Doctor said to Jane who nodded in agreement. "I think you'll be alright, although they might wanna make a search of the ship. Pepa says the hatch locks from the inside with a dead bolt so even if they find this hidden room, they won't be able to open it. And you'll have my counterpart and he's like me except he's human so you have one of me here to protect you."

He smiled when Tia wandered over to him and he picked her up and spun her around in the air while she giggled.

"Of course, we can't let this precious treasure fall into wrong hands," he said before he kissed her cheek and set her down. "Hopefully, if we surrender, that'll satisfy them. We're gonna tell them we're on an exploration of deep space and got off course when our navigation systems failed, which is sorta the truth anyway. But, there's food down here and…"

He walked over to the wall beside the shelves and showed her a tiny black button installed in the wall. He pushed it and a door slid open revealing a tiny bathroom.

"According to Pepa, this isn't the first time people have thought of this room as a good hiding place," he said, pushing the button and closing the door. "So you won't have to worry about holding it in. That should be it though, I better go up and get ready. I think Paul's coming down to say goodbye before he leaves."

"Please look after him," Jane said.

"Don't worry, I will take care of him, he has family members waiting for him," the Doctor said, smiling at her.

He kissed her cheek and kissed Tia's lips before he headed back up the ladder. A few minutes later, Paul, Bill and Michelle climbed down. Jane stood up and embraced Paul.

"Be careful out there, okay?" Jane said.

"I will. Hopefully we can pass ourselves off as lost explorers and they'll let us leave. The Doctor thought they might be pulling us in because we got too close to their airspace. But keep quiet down here just in case they think we're smugglers or something and search the ship."

Jane nodded and Paul gave her a kiss on the lips. He picked up Tia, swung her around while she laughed and held her close while she held onto him.

"Gotta go for awhile, my princess, but I'll be back soon," he said to Tia. "You be good while Daddy's gone, yeah?"

"Love you," Tia said in his ear.

Jane's heart melted at the happy look on Paul's face. He kissed his daughter's cheek and Jane managed to pry her loose from Paul's neck. She held her in her arms while Paul kissed them both and nuzzled their cheeks. With one last loving look, he went back up. After he went up, John Smith and the remaining Beatles came down and they lowered the hatch door down. John Smith stood on the ladder and waited till it was lowered before he climbed back up and slid the bolt into place. He tried to open the hatch and nodded when it stayed secure and then he climbed back down again.

"So…" John Smith said as he went over and sat beside Jane, "we should decide who eats who in case this drags out awhile."

"I get Ringo!" John said.

"Not if I get you first!" Ringo said.

"You'll never get me, I'm too fast. You'll be down my gullet before you can blink. Besides I figured you'd eat William over there."

"No, William's off limits until the Doctor can examine him. You, however, are fair game."

"Gee, thanks," Ringo said while the adults laughed.

John patted him on the back and looked around at the small group of people.

"So…what do we do in the meantime? Toss Tia's ball around? Make small talk? Bill and Michelle can snog, I suppose," he said with a wink at them.

"What's…snog?" Michelle asked Bill.

Everyone giggled when Bill turned beet red.

"It means to kiss very deeply, love," John said to her.

"Oh, like this?"

All the adults were amused when she took Bill's face in her hands and began to kiss him passionately.

"Is there any popcorn in here?" John asked, looking around while the two of them kissed.

"Hmmm, apparently she's kissed men before," George observed while they watched them snogging.

"Probably don't have too much to do on those long nights in the cave," Ringo added.

"Blast and my husband went with the others," Jane said while everyone laughed.

"When did you get married if you don't mind me askin'?," John said.

"A few days ago, we had a commitment ceremony on an alien planet," Jane said.

"Really? So no going to a registrar for you then, eh?" John said.

"Nah, we needed to be different," Jane replied.

"Aha, they've come up for air now," George said when Bill and Michelle finally stopped. "And they're still alive, they didn't suffocate!"

"Wait a tic, they'll probably be back at it in a few minutes," John said. "So…you got married and you adopted Tia, are you thinkin' about havin' a few of your own?"

"I'd like to but not now while we're doing this. We're gonna have to figure out a way to keep her with us and travel at the same time."

"You like it that much?" Ringo asked.

"Yes, it's addicting," Jane said. "There were scary moments like this but it's worth it just to travel around and see different planets and time periods. It's why Paul and Bill do it."

"Yup, it's one of the most exciting things I've ever done. I don't regret a minute of it," Bill replied.

"And now you're gonna have your girlfriend along with you," John said.

"Yup. I hope so. We do have a place we can take them. Jane, you could leave Tia with Jim sometimes. I'm sure he wouldn't mind looking after his grandchild."

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting that Paul's dad is sharing a house with our Beatles and their spouses on another planet. He would love to see Tia and take care of her as well."

"Wait, your Beatles live on another planet?" George said.

"In the far future," John Smith said, "the Doctor took them there to hide them since the Illuminati started targeting Paul's friends and family in addition to him. It was just a safety measure until we finally defeat the Illuminati or cripple them enough that they aren't a threat anymore."

"Nice to know we weren't the only ones who had trouble with those bastards," John said. "But what about you, John, do you have a significant other tucked away on a planet somewhere…or should I say…does the Doctor."

They all noticed him flinching and averting his eyes.

"John?" Jane said to John Smith, "did we say something wrong?"

"No, no, it's a fair question. It's just that it's a bit of a painful subject even for me."

"What happened?" Bill asked.

John Smith hesitated a moment and then told them about Rose and gave them the gist of what happened to her. Everyone listened in silence until he was finished.

"Has…has he ever tried to find Rose again?" Jane said after a few moments of silence. "I know he gave her up but still…doesn't he miss her?"

"He misses her greatly. I know that because I miss her."

"Well, can't you go and get her?" John asked.

"I don't think so, the universes are sealed off," John Smith said.

"If the universes are sealed off then what are we doing right now?" George countered.

They laughed when John Smith's eyes widened in realization.

"Yeah, you apparently have found something that could go to her universe, yeah…so…" John said to him.

"Well, for one thing, it's up to the other Doctor. For another, we'd have to find the universe again."

"Okay," John said, "why is it up to the other Doctor, why can't you do it? You have just as much right to her as he does, right? And apparently you were able to find the correct universe again since you went back and dropped her off."

"I think you're scared is what's stopping you," George said.

"Perhaps," John Smith said, "but also the fact that there's already another me there. What do I do, go there, kick his ass and steal her away from him? The Doctor dumped Rose on him and I just snatch her away? A bit rude, don't you think?"

"So, share her! You, him and the Doctor."

Everyone laughed at the shocked look on his face.

"Gee…don't know how Rose would feel about that," he said with an amused grin on his face.

"Hey, one way to find out, eh?" John said.

"Yeah, if it doesn't work out, you could always clone her twice and divide her three ways," Bill added.

"Okay, this conversation has taken a very odd turn," John Smith said.

"But you oughta just ask and see," Jane said. "Just ask the Doctor what he thinks. At least try to go for a visit and let her know what's happened."

John Smith started to answer that when suddenly they heard voices up above them. He put his finger to his lips and shook his head while everyone became deathly still.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Meanwhile while the group down below was chatting, the other group stood at the front window and watched while the tractor beam pulled them down onto a double landing pad that was adjacent to it. Nest to the landing pad was a large white concrete building that had no ornamentation or any shrubberies or trees around it. They could see as they landed that there were several soldiers lining up. They were dressed in white leather trousers with white military jackets, black boots and black helmet. Each one had a black belt on with a holster containing a white laser blaster. The Doctor turned to the others while they were landing.

"Just stay calm, don't do anything to antagonize them. Hopefully, they just think we flew into their airspace and we'll tell them we're explorers who have gone off course. I'm hoping they'll believe that explanation and we can be on our way."

"And if they don't buy our explanation?" Amy said.

"We…fight them and get back in here," the Doctor said.

"And that's your entire plan," Pepa said.

"Yeah. Brilliant, huh?" the Doctor said while his companions snickered. "Actually, it's a bit more thought out than my usual plans. Most of the time I just have a bare bones outline of what I want to do and I improvise."

Pepa looked at the others.

"Is he serious?" he said to them.

"Um…yeah, he is," Amy replied.

"And you follow him?" Pepa said in disbelief.

"To Hell and back," Rory said while the Doctor stood behind Pepa and gave his companions a big toothy grin.

They gasped when the ship banged down on the landing pad. They looked out the window and saw the soldiers advancing towards the side hatch.

"I suppose I should let them in then since we are cooperating," Pepa said to the Doctor.

"It's your ship, mate," the Doctor said with a shrug.

Pepa eyed him and then hurried to the hatch. The Doctor gave his companions a smug grin.

"My rules though," he said while they chuckled.

"Seriously though, what if they don't go for it?" Rory said.

"I said we fight them and if we're outside, we run back in and if we're in here, we're…in here," the Doctor said. "I've seen all of you fight, I know you're capable. Just look alive, stay calm and don't chew gum, soldiers."

"Aye, aye, sir!" Paul said with a salute.

"See, that's what I like to see, mindless cannon fodder," he said while they laughed.

They sobered up when Pepa came back to them with the soldiers behind them.

"This is my crew," he was telling them, "we're on a simple exploration and mapping of the Magellanic Cloud System but our navigational computer was damaged in a cosmic storm and we drifted off course while we tried to make repairs. We're sorry if we invaded your airspace but if you let us go, we'll leave in peace, honestly."

The soldiers didn't say anything and the Doctor and his companions shared a look.

"You don't believe us?" Paul asked them.

The soldiers said nothing and remained stone-faced while everyone shifted uneasily.

"Look, we're telling you the truth," Rory insisted. "We're exploring space, nothing more. We're not smugglers or pirates or invaders out to invade your planet. We'd just like to leave in peace."

The soldiers still didn't speak and the Doctor sighed in frustration. Then they noticed a haughty young man entering the ship. He was extremely tall, nearly seven foot tall with blonde hair that was cut in a style similar to Paul's mop top. He had a chiseled physique much like a Greek god. He was wearing black trousers, black shirt, a long white coat that came down to just above his knees and black boots similar to the ones the soldiers were wearing. The man stepped up to Paul who looked like a dwarf compared to him. Paul craned his neck back and looked up at the man who still wore the haughty expression on his face. Paul frowned when the man stared at him intently.

"You're a bit fat," he finally told Paul.

Paul's mouth dropped open while Amy and Rory tried to stifle their laughter.

"I'm sorry you find me so chunky," Paul said sarcastically. "I have a singing career; I don't have time to develop muscles on top of my muscles."

"You sing?" the man said with renewed interest.

"Eh, yeah?" Paul said, hesitantly.

"Sing!"

Paul gave the others an "Is this guy for real?" look before he warbled a bit of All My Lovin' to him. He got as far as the chorus before the man hollered, "Stop!" and put his hand over his mouth.

"That will be quite enough of that, thank you," he said.

"Not to your likin', mate?" Paul said.

"No. Your accent is unrefined, course and it speaks of living in the gutter. You were off key in several places, your voice was nasally and the lyrics of your song were insipid and trite."

Amy threw her hand over her mouth to try to keep from laughing when Paul's mouth nearly hit the floor.

"Moreover, you are pale and pasty in addition to being a bit fat, your face is effeminate and your eyelashes resemble a girl's. Your eyes are a disgusting brown color and your nose is stubby and lacks refinement. Your hands are meaty with stubby little fingers and your arse sticks out several inches from the rest of your body."

Amy couldn't keep from laughing now and Paul shot her a dirty look while she gave him an apologetic one.

"Moreover," the man continued as he looked Paul over, "your hairstyle lacks good taste and your hair is far too long, it needs to be trimmed."

"Excuse me," the Doctor said, "is this the only reason you pulled us down, so you could insult my friend?"

The man ignored him. To Paul's surprise he took hold of his fringe.

"Perhaps if I employed a hairstylist to fix this, otherwise, your hair has got to go and…"

He gave a tug and the hairpiece came off. Amy bit her lip and shook with silent laughter at the shocked looks on both Paul and the man's faces. The man examined the hairpiece.

"I see. A wig…and a cheap one at that."

"Give me that!" Paul said, snatching it back from him. "I don't know what you're doing, mate, but I'm not some antique that you're appraising for Sotheby. I'm sorry if I don't pass inspection…"

"On the contrary, you're just the thing I'm looking for," he said to him.

Paul was struck dumb.

"I'm…sorry?" he said when he found his voice again.

"You'll do," the man said simply.

"Do…what?" Paul said, dreading the answer.

The man ignored him but Paul noticed that three of the soldiers were now coming close to him as if they were blocking his escape. He watched while the man inspected Amy who was trying to shrink away behind Rory.

"Hmmm…average looking, small misshapen breasts, hideous ginger colored hair…"

"Hey!"

The man turned his attention to the Doctor when he yelled at him.

"What are you doing?" the Doctor said to him.

"Running an inspection. Wait patiently; I'll be with you shortly."

He smirked and looked at Paul.

"Speaking of shortly, have to put some height on you as well. You are far too short to pass for an average man."

"Okay, mate, that's it, I'll cripple…"

Paul raised his fist up and the three guards immediately whipped out their blasters and aimed them all at his nose. He coughed nervously and lowered his fist while the guards kept him covered. The man finished his inspection of Amy, proclaiming her plain, pimply and lopsided. Amy had to restrain herself from following Paul's lead as the man turned his attention to Rory.

"Ugh, no hope for you, I won't even bother!" he said, turning away.

Rory's mouth dropped open and the Doctor gritted his teeth as the man turned his attention to him. He raised his eyebrow when he saw his bow tie and tweed jacket.

"Fashion victim, are we?" the man said.

"Look, tell us what's going on before I plant my fist in your face and make a very big hole that will make my companion's flaws look like nothing. Why are we being inspected like cattle?"

"Him and her," the man said as he suddenly turned his attention to the guards and pointed to Paul and Amy, "take them to the lab."

"Fuck! Here we go again!" Paul said as the guards seized him and Amy.

The others tried to fight but the remaining guards surrounded them and held them at bay with their blasters as Paul and Amy were forced off the ship. The man turned to one of the guards while the Doctor, Rory and Pepa gave him looks of death.

"Get some more guards and do a search of the ship. I want to make sure that there is no one else. In the meantime. Put shock collars on these three so they won't put up a fight while we finish up here."


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

John Smith put a finger to his lips when they heard voices directly above them. They all looked up at the hatch nervously while Jane spoke softly to Tia and kept her occupied so she'd be quiet. They froze when they heard one of them proclaiming that their scans detected the hatch. John Smith held up his hand.

"Relax, I locked it," he said to them.

But to their horror, they watched while the bolt slowly slid back as if by magic. John Smith cursed, jumped to his feet and ran to the ladder, ready to fight while the Beatles and Bill got up and prepared to defend the women. The hatch was raised up and two guards looked down at John Smith.

"There's more down here!" he yelled to his companions.

The hatch was opened all the way and John Smith backed up towards his friends as the guards came down the stairs. The guards backed everyone up against the wall. John Smith let out an angry sigh when he heard Tia crying softly in fear.

"Look, whatever you want, take me, leave them alone," he said to the guards.

They ignored him and kept their blasters aimed at him and his friends. John Smith looked up as the man came down the ladder.

"Bloody hell, he's tall," George said softly as the man reached the floor of the storage room and came towards them.

The guards parted enough to let him through and he stared at John Smith who folded his arms over his chest, ready to defy him.

"Another pretty one, they seem to have many effeminate men on this ship."

John Smith was taken by surprise at the man's comment. He and the others watched in silent shock as the man began to inspect them in turn. He criticized John Smith's bad skin and bony frame before moving on to everyone else. He proclaimed that Bill resembled Paul and also had bad skin and an uninspired hairstyle, Jane was too leggy and her breasts were too small, Michelle had drab hair, drab, beady eyes and she had virtually no breasts. He passed over Tia much to Jane's relief and went on to the Beatles. He stared intently at John who stared right back.

"I have no breasts if that's helpful," John said to the man.

John jerked his head back when the man ran his finger along his walrus mustache and fingered the left arm of his granny glasses.

"You need a shave and contact lenses. Your nose is too bulbous and you need to wear a codpiece."

"What?" John said while George and Ringo fought to keep from laughing. "Who the hell is this fucker anyway?"

The man ignored him and turned to Ringo. He did a double take and Ringo's eyes bulged out when he stared, mouth agape, at his face.

"Dear gods, man, your nose is your entire face," he said.

John and George burst out laughing as Ringo shot daggers at them. The man shook his head and walked over to George. George shut up and gave him a defiant look while he inspected him.

"Your eyes are too small and cruel. In fact, you have an angry look to your face. Your hair looks like a mushroom and you have nonexistent lips."

"Well, at least I'm not some arrogant alien git," George retorted as the man turned away from him.

To their horror, the man selected John Smith, Jane and Michelle. The others tried to protect them but the guards pressed them up against the wall. Tia cried for her mother and John grabbed her as Jane was separated from her daughter and forced to go up the ladder with Michelle and John Smith.

"Bill!" Michelle cried out as they forced her to go up.

"Don't worry, Michelle, stay calm. We'll rescue you," Bill said.

"I'll look after her, Bill," John Smith said as he went up after Michelle.

Once they were up the ladder, John and the others started yelling curses at the man. To their surprise, he responded by passing out brochures to them.

"Thank you for your time," he said. "I can assure you your friends are in no danger. I simply need them. If you cooperate, they will be returned to you unharmed. Good day."

The remaining guards held them at bay while the man climbed the ladder. Once he was gone, the guards followed suit and when they were gone; the remaining people glanced at each other and looked at the brochures. On the front of the brochure was a painting of a large, metal robot and above that was.

Doctor Maxionius's Fantastic Bots Robot Viewing.

Underneath in smaller letters it said…

Viewing to take place at Argos Pavilion. Tea and crumpets will be served. Come early for premium seating.

"What the fuck does this have to do with them abducting our friends?" John said, shaking his head.

They opened the brochure and read it while the Doctor, Pepa and Rory came downstairs.

"They've gone now," the Doctor said, "except for a small contingent guarding the entrance so we can't get out. They took Paul and Amy. We saw them herd the others out. No idea what they want them for."

"They gave us these," John said, showing them the brochure.

The Doctor looked it over and nodded.

"Then we have to find out where this Argos Pavilion is and get our friends back. Come with me, all of you. I don't want them to come back and take someone else while we're gone. We'll look after one another."

"Come here, sweetheart," Bill said softly as he picked up Tia, "your Uncle Bill will take you to your mum and dad."

"What about him though?" George asked, pointing to William who was still unconscious. "We leaving him here?"

"I s'pose. We can't carry him with us. We'll have to chance it that they don't take him. Come on," the Doctor said.

"Gee and what a shame if they did," John muttered to George under his breath as they followed the Doctor up the ladder.

Meanwhile, the others were in the back of a black hover van that was currently going somewhere. The back of the van had metal benches bolted into the sides of it and that was it. Paul and Jane sat next to each other, holding hands while Amy, John Smith and Michelle sat across from them.

"Any idea what we're in for here?" Paul finally said.

"No clue," John Smith, "the man assured us we'd be returned after we assisted him with something."

"Yeah, well, that doesn't mean he won't do something to us," Amy said angrily.

"Well, at least we have company this time, for a moment I thought it was just you and me again," Paul said to her.

"Yeah, I'm glad others are with us now…Mister Chunky," Amy said.

Paul shot her a look as she giggled.

"At least I don't have lopsided breasts," Paul said.

"He said I was lopsided, my breasts are misshapen," Amy said.

"Oh well, sorry, I meant to say they were misshapen instead of lopsided," Paul said, rolling his eyes. "What about you, love?" he added as he looked at Jane. "What are your flaws?"

"I'm leggy and my breasts are small."

"Really? I like leggy and small though," Paul teased while Jane rolled her eyes. "Seriously though, I don't like the sound of lab."

"He told you we're going to a lab?" John Smith said.

"Yeah, told those goons to take me and Amy to the lab," Paul said. "Knowing him, we'll come back looking like Greek statues or we'll be turned into Greek statues."

"Just keep calm, we'll get out of this," John Smith said.

"Yeah, we need to go find Rose," Jane said.

Paul frowned.

"Who's Rose?" he said while John Smith blushed.

John sheepishly explained to him and Amy who she was. Both of them were intrigued.

"Wait!" Amy said, poking John Smith's arm, "the Doctor told me he couldn't date humans because he was a Time Lord and I was a human and he was 907. I'm not surprised he lied about this Rose since he lied about a lot of things when I first knew him but…is that the reason why he didn't want a relationship with me?"

"Partly. Partly because it just wouldn't work out," John Smith said.

"For him, but not for you because you're human, right?" Amy said. "I mean, you said there's another one of you that's part human/part Time Lord, right?"

"Yes and he's with her right now and I don't feel like tearing her out of that relationship since I'm pretty sure she's probably moved on by now. It would be a bit cruel to break her heart all over again, wouldn't it?"

"Then just say hello to her, let her know you're alive even if you don't stay with her," Amy said.

"Perhaps, but can we focus on the problem at hand?" John Smith said in exasperation. "We are in trouble at the moment and Rose can wait, alright?"

"Only saying you should consider it," Amy said with a shrug.

"I'll talk it over with my other half if I don't end up dead, okay?"

Amy nodded and the five of them lapsed into silence while the waited for the van to stop at its final destination.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty One

The van finally stopped and Paul and John Smith stood up first in order to protect the women. The doors opened and they saw more guards with blasters aimed at them. The man stood behind the guards and beckoned to them.

"Come forward," he said to them.

"What is this about?" John Smith said.

"Come forward," the man repeated.

"Not until we find out what you want us for," John Smith said.

"Come forward and follow me and I'll explain everything," the man said impatiently. "Otherwise, I'll have my guards throw knockout gas in there and you'll be carried in. Your choice."

John Smith shook his head and beckoned to the women. They stood up and John Smith and Paul went first while they followed. They leapt out of the van and stood in the midst of the guards. The guards moved them forward a bit and then surrounded them. Flanked on all sides, they herded them around the van towards another large white concrete building. Paul took his wife's hand and squeezed it when they went through a pair of double doors into a large room. The room had several metal chairs and tables and a marble floor but the guards moved them past it and through another set of double doors down a corridor. They walked them to the end of the corridor to a door off to their left. One guard opened it and they went into a large laboratory. The laboratory looked like any standard laboratory except on the far left of the room; there was an assortment of metal robots of various sizes, shapes and colors. The guards herded them towards the right side of the room and held them there while the man walked into the room and closed the doors.

"Okay, mind tell us what this is about?" John Smith said.

"My name is Doctor Maxionius and I need you," he said to them.

"What for?" Paul said.

"See those robots over there?" Maxionius said, pointing to them.

All of them nodded.

"I need you to help model them for tonight's viewing."

Everyone stared at him quietly for a moment.

"You want us to be models for robots?" Paul said, not sure he heard that right.

"Yes. I have models I keep on staff but I'm bored with them and I noticed your ship coming towards the planet and I asked an old friend of mine who was in charge of the tractor beam to beam you in so I could see who was on board. I was looking for someone different, something exciting and you five have what I need, I think. After I make you over, of course. The way you look now you couldn't model a plate of snot and mucus but enough talk…tiny one, come here, I want to start with you."

Paul rolled his eyes when the guards looked them over in confusion.

"I think I'm Tiny One," he said to them.

They separated him from the group and Maxionius pulled up a metal chair for him and told him to sit.

"Now…" he said to Paul as he sat down, "first off, we will fix some of the flaws I mentioned earlier."

"Look, mate, I want to go back to my family and friends, I don't wanna participate in…"

"A girdle!"

Paul shut up and blinked.

"What?" he said.

"You're too fat, you need to wear a girdle, something that will slim the lumpy bulges."

"I am not fat!" Paul protested while his friends and family snickered.

"No wait, that's impossible. I'm afraid I'll have to live with the bulges," Maxionius said as he walked over to a drawer and rummaged through it.

"Here," he said, throwing him a pair of black Speedos, "take off your clothes and put that on, it shall be your outfit for this evening."

Paul stared at it in horror while Maxionius regarded him calmly.

"No, wait, surely you can't be serious," Paul said to him. "I'm wearing this thing out in public?"

"That and more. I need to change your wig into something more suitable," he said as he opened a cupboard and rummaged through it.

"Help?" Paul said, throwing his friends a helpless look as Maxionius looked through some boxes.

Meanwhile, the Doctor and what was left of his group located a police station and were trying to tell a bored policeman sitting behind a desk that Maxionius had kidnapped their friends.

"And you say he took them off your ship?" the officer said as he wrote down the information.

"Yes," the Doctor said, "and he gave us these."

He handed one of the brochures to the officer who perused it. He read through it and nodded.

"Yes, the pavilion isn't far from here," he said to them. "Thought of going myself. I need another robot for my home. The misses wants a Z-35, latest model…"

"Yes, yes," the Doctor said impatiently, "that's not the point. The point is our friends have been taken and we want them back. Can you go to his lab and arrest him."

"The man is harmless, sir," the officer said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Harmless, he brought a bunch of men onboard my ship and abducted people at blasterpoint," Pepa said angrily.

"Yes, but he does that, sir. He's a clever inventor but he's mad as a hatter, you see. He thinks he needs people to model the robots while he shows them off. Thinks it adds to the presentation."

"So he kidnaps people and forces them to model robots?" Rory said in disbelief.

"Yeah, he lets them go unharmed after it. He's just a vain little looney who likes putting on shows with models and robots. It's how he makes his money. He recruits people to assist them and then lets them go at the end of the show. I suggest you go see the show. In fact, I'm about to go off duty, you can go with me. Like I said, I wanna get a robot for the misses. I think I will get a Z-35, in fact. Just wait in the waiting room and I'll come get you when my shift's up."

He waved the stunned group away and the Doctor turned and beckoned for all of them to follow him to the waiting room while the officer went back to his paperwork.

After two hours, the officer came and got the Doctor and his companions. All of them had been sick with worry but they gave up trying to get anyone to help them after the Doctor went around to others, explained the situation and was told the same thing the officer told them. The man was harmless and his friends would be returned unharmed at the end of the evening. Once the officer came into the waiting room, everyone jumped up from their chairs.

"Name's Dougan," he said to them. "Just come with me. We can borrow a black maria for the evening and that way I can bring your friends home as well."

The Doctor muttered curses under his breath as they followed Dougan towards the front door. He walked out to the car park and unlocked a black maria. He ushered everyone into the back of it and they sat on benches bolted to the sides as he shut the doors and walked around to the passenger side. He got in and drove off. Fifteen minutes later, he reached the Argos Pavilion and turned the van off. He got out and let everyone out of the back. The Pavilion was a huge glass structure that resembled a circus tent. They saw through the glass that there were benches sat up around the interior that were facing a wooden stage with a long wooden catwalk. At the back of the stage was a huge purple curtain that prevented them from seeing the back of the structure. They could see people walking around, mingling while they sipped tea and ate crumpets. Most of the people were dressed up in evening wear, evening dresses and black tuxedos but there were others like the officer who was wearing casual dress. They went inside and walked over to two trolleys to get the tea and crumpets. After they got the tea and crumpets, they went ahead and sat down on the wooden bench that was directly in front of the catwalk. One by one, others slowly did the same thing until the benches were filled up. The show didn't start until the sun started going down and then suddenly techno music began to pulsate through the room making the glass walls vibrate. Tia looked around in fear as she sat on Bill's lap and Bill soothed her, kissed her head and made her doll dance to calm her down. Then spotlights focused on the purple curtain and Maxionius stepped outside with a microphone.

"Is this on?" he said as his voice reverberated around the room. "Good. I am Doctor Milus Maxionius and this is my 56th Bots viewing. I hope you like what you see and I'll be sure to get any orders you have for robots after the viewing. But for now, let the show begin! First up, we have the R-56 modeled by Paul!"

The Doctor and everyone leaned forward in anticipation as Maxionius stepped to the side of the stage and the curtain opened. The Doctor and his companions stared slack jawed and then laughed hysterically when they saw Paul. Paul was wearing the black Speedo and nothing else. Someone had thrown glitter on his body and it sparkled in the spotlights. He had eyeliner around his eyes and black lipstick on his lips. But what made them laugh was someone had replaced his hairpiece with an enormous black beehive that was piled up two foot high on his head. Stuck into the beehive were purple and white flowers that looked like daisies. The robot beside him was a purple and white robot that looked like R2-D2. The robot moved forward and the Doctor and his group laughed in spite of themselves when Paul moved with it down the catwalk, wiggling his hips and strutting alongside it. The robot stopped and Paul ran his hands all over it, modeling it for the crowd while Maxionius gave out statistics about it. He spotted his friends and family sitting mere feet away from him. His eyes narrowed when all of them laughed and waved at him.

"Ya look great, Paulie!" John yelled over the techno. "You need to keep that look for the Beatles!"

"Shut up, John!" Paul yelled back as they laughed hysterically.

Mortified, Paul was forced to model the robot and dance around it, wiggling his hips and his butt while the Doctor and the others roared with laughter. When Maxionius finished, Paul sprinted back to the back of the stage far ahead of the robot. When the robot was backstage, Amy came out and they laughed when they noticed she was dressed in a neon purple dress that had swirling pink neon lights directly over her breasts. Her hair had been teased straight up above her hair like a ginger dagger and ivy had been wound around it. She had on neon purple eye shadow and lipstick and she also had to dance, wiggle her body and model the humanoid robot while it walked with her down the catwalk. She spotted her friends and family and gave them a look of death while they laughed uncontrollably. After she was done, she sprinted backstage and then John Smith came out. He was dressed as a goth with jet black hair, makeup and eye shadow and had on leather trousers, shirt and jacket with chains everywhere. Jane had her hair teased up and had a metal platter affixed to the top with a wooden duck glued to it. Her dress was tight, strapless and white with brown ducks all over it. Michelle was last and her hair was teased so it was sticking straight back away from her face like The Bride of Frankenstein. She had on a tight hot pink dress with hot pink bunny slippers and she was wearing white glitter eye shadow and white lipstick. The Doctor and the others roared with laughter, knowing the others would kill them when they were finally set free but they couldn't help themselves. After Michelle went off, Paul came back on with another robot and the Beatles hooted and hollered and cheered while Paul shouted at them that they were dead when he was set free.

"Damn, it's time like this that I wish I had a camera with me," John said to George and Ringo while Paul danced and strutted around his robot and flipped them off when they made kissy faces at him.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty Two

By the time the show was finished, the Doctor and his group were waiting for Paul and the others to show up. Once they figured out that their companions were in no danger, they had laughed themselves silly to the annoyance of the others who looked like they were ready to murder them by the show's end. By the time they were done and reunited with them, the captives were tired, dirty and humiliated and none too pleased that they had been laughed at instead of being helped. Maxionius had allowed them to shower and put their clothes back on so by the time they got back to them they looked normal again. The Doctor held up his hands when he saw the angry looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry, my friends, but once we realized no harm would come to you, we just couldn't help but laugh," he said to them.

"Yeah, it's the one time I'm glad someone fancied Paul instead of me," John added. "But the Doctor's right. Don't be angry. Besides, we're leaving here and these people will never have to see you again."

"Thank God for that," Paul said as he picked Tia up and kissed her. "I think I would have preferred it if he'd tortured us the old fashioned way instead of making us walk the catwalk in outrageous clothes. At least I would have kept my dignity if he'd stretched me out on the rack. Let's just get out of here and never come back."

They started to walk away and froze when Dougan came up to them. Paul was confused when he shook his hand warmly.

"Thank you! I recognized you as one of the models! It's because of you that I have a brand new Zenith-400!"

"Um…okay," Paul said, not sure what he meant.

Then he saw the little R2D2 robot coming up behind the man. Dougan gestured to it proudly.

"A fine machine and it was due to your presentation that I decided to buy it and I am not disappointed. Thank you, thank you!"

"Yeah, you're welcome," Paul said as the others fought to keep from laughing. "I'm glad I was able to help you buy a robot."

Dougan smiled. He said goodbye to everyone and left with the robot gliding along behind him.

"See," George said to Paul, "you did some good after all."

"Be quiet, George!" Paul said as everyone laughed.

Later on, when they were back inside the sub, Pepa got it airborne and away from the planet before the Doctors went back to work on the circuitry. Amy and Rory rested in the seats up front so they could keep their eyes on where they were flying to. The rest of them went below to rest in the beds. The Doctor sighed as he and his counterpart tried to fix the circuitry.

"It's a wonder this thing flies at all," the Doctor said to John Smith as they examined the wiring. "Whoever built this ship must have been taking just as much LSD as the people who made the film. It's a wonder Pepa didn't blow us up when he did the first dimensional jump. Might take hours to sort it out."

He frowned when John Smith didn't say anything back and he looked over at his counterpart and saw how sullen he was.

"Sorry if I'm boring you," the Doctor said, rolling his eyes.

"No, it's not that. It's something that happened when I was in the storage compartment," John Smith replied.

"What happened?"

John Smith told him about the conversation about Rose and the Doctor flinched when he mentioned her name. When he finished, the Doctor sighed and lowered his screwdriver.

"John, you know we can't," he said.

"Why can't we? If we're dimension hopping, we might as well go see her," John Smith said. "Besides, don't you wanna drop me off there so you can get rid of me as well? Gotta put me somewhere, right?"

"John, I never said anything of the sort," the Doctor said.

"No, but it's a foregone conclusion. You banished the other one so you wouldn't have to look at him, right? So I'm going to suffer the same fate and if I do, I want to be with her."

"Two Doctors? You really think she'd go for that?"

"Then let's go find her and have Pepa make a copy of her for me. If I can't have the original, I'll take a clone."

"We don't even know where we are right now, that's why we're trying to fix the bloody ship!" the Doctor said angrily.

"And afterwards…"

John Smith grabbed the Doctor's arm when he tried to ignore him.

"Don't pretend you don't want to see her," he growled. "You've been mourning her ever since you left her. You tried to pretend Amy was her and love her but you stopped that when you realized not even Amy could replace her. I can see it in your eyes; you want to find Rose just as much as I do."

"Perhaps but that'll just have to wait, won't it?" the Doctor shot back.

"Why should it wait? Why don't we try to find her now?"

"Why? So I can watch you snog her?" the Doctor said angrily.

"No, so she can help us and perhaps him as well. It's gonna take more than just us to get rid of the invasion force and Rose can fight, you know that."

"And then what? When we're done, do we send her back then?"

"You know, Rose is a grown woman," John Smith said. "Instead of just chucking her out the door like last time, why not let her decide and give her a chance to decide her destiny."

"And if she stays? If he stays with her?"

"Then you have two more companions," John Smith said with a shrug. "At least let her have a proper goodbye if you don't decide to take her back with you. You cheated her out of a goodbye because you were too cowardly to stand there and watch your clone kiss her."

"And don't you think she might be angry at me for doing that to her?" the Doctor countered. "Don't you think if I went back, she might tell me to piss off?"

"Or…she might be glad to see you."

"I'm not the same man I once was," he muttered while John Smith let out an angry sigh. "Well, I'm not! She wanted the body you have. She panicked when she thought I was gonna die after the Dalek shot me and that's partly the reason why I found a way to stay in that body, because I was terrified she'd hate me if I changed. If I went back, she might not want me, she'd want you or the other you and I'd be left out in the cold."

"And yet…you changed once before when you were with her and she loved you even more after that," John Smith countered. "I just think you're scared to face her."

The Doctor considered that while he fixed a wire with his screwdriver.

"If we do this, I want to ask for everyone's imput," he said to John Smith while he worked. "I want Amy to be aware that I'm bringing her onboard so there's no jealously since she knows the truth now."

"Why would she be jealous? She's with Rory now."

"Yes, but I still think there's lingering feelings there and I want everything to be harmonious."

"I understand that but why would you need to get input from the others. No one else would have any trouble with her, certainly not the Beatles. In fact, Rose would probably be thrilled to meet them and Bill and Jane. And…if you do take her back, perhaps you can check to see if there are Beatles in her universe and maybe these lost Beatles will find a new place to go."

"And William as well?" the Doctor said.

"If he can be fixed," John Smith replied. "But yes, if we're able to save him, he could go with him. Especially if he's anything like our Bill. John said he wouldn't mind working with him if he was like Bill."

They heard a soft voice and both turned their heads to see Tia and Jane walking up to them. Tia smiled broadly as she opened her arms and the Doctor embraced her and gave her cheek a kiss.

"Hello, my pet," he said as he cuddled her. "Did you have a nice kip?"

"That reminds me; I told them we could scan her back at the TARDIS, to get an exact age. They wanted to know," John Smith said as Jane knelt down beside him.

"We can do that," the Doctor said to her. "That's no trouble at all."

"I'm glad. We really would like to know so we can celebrate her birthday properly. But I came to tell you that William has woken up and he's very grumpy to put it mildly."

The Doctor groaned.

"I'll sort it out if you wanna keep working," the Doctor said to John Smith as he handed him the screwdriver.

John Smith nodded and took it from him. He worked on the wiring while the Doctor headed back to the sleeping quarters with Jane and Tia.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty Three

"John, leave him alone!"

John Lennon was sitting on his bed with George and Ringo taunting William as he thrashed around and tried to get out of the ropes binding him while he screamed through the gag in his mouth. John had been making snide "Mmmm-mmm-mmm," sounds which was making William even angrier and finally prompted Paul to tell him to knock it off.

"The Doctor has to deal with him, not you, and you're pissing him off," Paul said to him.

"Sorry, just having a laugh at Bilbo's distress there," John said, putting his arms behind his head and leaning back against the wall.

The Doctor looked down through the hole and then came down the ladder while William tried to get free. Once he did that, Paul got up and stood by the ladder while Tia slowly climbed down to him. Then Jane came down behind her while the Doctor knelt by William. William glared at him as the Doctor put a hand on his arm.

"I'm going to take the gag out of your mouth but you have to calm down or I'm going to render you unconscious again. I'm here to help you," the Doctor said.

He took the tape off and the handkerchief out of William's mouth. William sputtered a moment and then glared at him.

"You can't do this to me! I'm a fucking Beatle!" he growled at the Doctor.

"Uh…no, you're not," John said. "We voted you out of the group."

"Fuck you, Lennon! I'm in the group to stay, whether or not you want me…"

He trailed off when Jane went past with Tia towards the bed Paul was sitting on.

"So, you survived as well?" William said as Jane froze and looked at her.

"What d'ya mean, survived?" Paul asked. "You saw her in the restaurant, mate, or have you forgotten?"

"No, sorry, I thought that was her replacement at first. They were gonna send one out to do that audition for her play and I was just keeping up appearances since she's supposed to be my so-called girlfriend."

"Replacement? You mean…"

William laughed at Paul's horror.

"Yes…" he said, the S drawn out like a snake's hiss, "she was killed off as well after you were."

Paul got up and walked over to Jane, suddenly feeling an urge to protect her and Tia in case William got loose. William chuckled softly and Paul could sense the Beatles and Bill's barely contained rage behind him.

"Wanna know how?" William said gleefully.

"I s'pose you're gonna tell us even if we don't wanna know," John said.

Bill got up and moved beside Paul. He picked Tia up and took her back to his bed. Grabbing the ball, he distracted her with it while an evil grin spread over William's face.

"I don't know how you survived but perhaps you'd care to tell them what happened, Janie?" William said, his green eyes focused on her.

"I wasn't there. I'm not your Jane, just like this isn't your Paul. We're from another universe. So I s'pose you're gonna have to be the one to tell us what happened."

"Intriguing, the master spoke of other realities but I had no idea that you could cross them," William said. "Very well, since it appears you and Paul have escaped death in your universe, I shall tell you what happened to the two of you in mine."

"I know what happened to me, they told me," Paul said, pointing to the Beatles. "Unlike me, they are from your universe."

"Very well, I will tell Jane what became of her then."

Paul put his arms around his wife protectively which amused William greatly. He glanced up at the Doctor who was glowering at him.

"Well, out with it, you wanna gloat before I do a mind probe, go ahead and gloat," the Doctor said.

"Whatever you're going to do to me, I assure you it won't work," William said.

"Whatever, William, say your peace so we can shut ya up again," John said impatiently.

"Well, at first we tried to get the real Jane to cooperate but the stupid bitch wouldn't play along," William said smugly.

He laughed when Paul gritted his teeth and made a move towards him before Jane stopped him.

"She kept being obstinate so we decided she needed to be replaced as well," William continued, loving the look of anguish on Jane and Paul's faces. "My master thought I should handle her sacrifice this time since others had the honor of killing Paul. So, I rang Jane and asked if she would like to go on a little date with me, to Strawberry Field so she could bring some flowers to her beloved Paulie. Course the stupid cow fell for it since she was desperate to spend time with Paul's rotting body so I drove round to her house in my mini and took her to see her little sweetie. I let her out first and let her walk to the unmarked grave while I stuck a sheathed knife in the back of my trousers. We buried our Paul under a certain tree so we'd be able to find him and she went right to it, dropped to her knees and wept, telling Paul's moldy rotting corpse that she'd always love him and would never love another and other soppy shit like that. She had some flowers with her, white lilies she got somewhere and she laid them at the base of the tree while she talked to Paul, even though Paul was just a bunch of decaying matter but anyway…the trusting fool let me come near her while she talked to the ground and grieved and acted like the weak sniveling fool that she was. Then…"

He let out a low sinister laugh and Paul held Jane close to him, his stomach turning while he watched the gleeful look on his brother's double's face.

"Then…" William continued with relish, "I undid my trousers while her head was down and dropped my pants and then I fell on her, overpowered her and…"

Jane shut her eyes when William let out another chuckle.

"She was a surprisingly good shag, I have to admit," William said, loving the anguished look on Paul's face. "I managed to get her trousers and underpants off and I fucked her good and hard right on top of her sweetheart. Bitch screamed like a dying cow but no one heard her. And then once I had my way with her. I took the knife out and I stuck it in that whore's throat. And as she lay bleeding, I plunged it into her body and slit her from neck to navel and let her sacrificial blood bleed down to where the body of her lover rested. After that, I cleaned up the mess and put her body in some plastic and drove until I found a lake I could put the body in and I did exactly that after I weighted it down with some bricks and tied rope around it. And that, my friends, is what happened to little plainy Janey."

The Doctor ran over and stopped the Beatles when they tried to run over and punch him. Bill sat on the bed with Tia, his face ashen with a horrorstricken expression on his face while Paul calmed Jane who had tears running down her face. William took all this in with unmasked joy and the Doctor turned back to him once he got the Beatles to calm down and sit back down.

"I s'pose you're proud of yourself for ending an innocent life then," the Doctor said to William as he slowly walked over to him.

"I shed her blood in tribute to the dark lord himself; it was an honor to get rid of the little wimp. She was too much of a goody-two-shoes, just like her poncy boyfriend. I would have buried Jane next to him but sadly there wasn't enough time so the two of them will just have to be satisfied with being reunited in the afterlife. Now…what are you going to do to me? Kill me?"

"No, I don't do things your way," the Doctor said.

He quickly fell to his knees and grabbed William's head. He sent him back into unconsciousness and kept his fingers on his temples while he scanned his mind. Paul kissed his wife's forehead and they sat down beside Bill and Tia while the Doctor continued his scan.

"Once he's done with that, I want him to do that to me," Bill said after swallowing hard. "Whatever these repressed memories are, I want them gone. I don't want to relapse and do what he did."

"Bill, you'd never do that to us, not in a million years," Paul said to him.

"All the same, I want those memories gone from my head, whatever they are, I don't wanna take the chance that some dormant programming resurfaces and turns me into a monster like him."

John got up from his bed, walked over and hugged him.

"You're nothing like him, mate, that's a dead cert," he said while Paul smiled at that. "Whatever's been done to you, it didn't take quite as badly as it did him and maybe that's the difference between the two of ya. He may be a monster but you're not."

"Thank you," Bill said.

John smiled and gave him a friendly pat on the back before he sat back down. While the Doctor was probing and fixing William's mind, Amy appeared at the hole and came back down the ladder.

"I thought I heard him," she said to Paul as she climbed down the ladder. "What happened? Did he wake up?"

Paul kissed Jane's cheek before he got up from the bed. He took Amy to the other side of the room and quietly told her what happened to spare Jane from having to hear it again. The color drained out of Amy's face by the time he finished and she shook her head.

"God…" she said, "oh God, they must have done so much brainwashing on him for him to be able to do that… I'm glad Bill isn't like that."

"Me too but he's frightened now. He wants the Doctor to take the memories out of his head, the repressed ones, as soon as he's finished with William. He's scared he's gonna do something like that."

"No, Bill isn't like that," Amy said, shaking her head, "he's been walking around with those memories in his head all this time and he hasn't done one dark thing."

"I know but I think what William said just shook him to the core of his being and now he's scared he might become like him. Perhaps it is for the best that the Doctor take those memories out, if they're all stemming from abuse he doesn't need them anyway."

They looked over at the Doctor when he took his fingers away and William slowly opened his eyes. Paul and Amy walked towards him while William gave the Doctor a confused look.

"What did you do to me?" he asked.

"I blocked and erased some of what has been done to you. I don't know if I got it all but I think I got enough of it that your psychopathic tendencies are gone."

"Why do you care?" William asked.

"Because you're as much a victim as the people you slaughtered or stood by and let be slaughtered. I know you now, William, I scanned your memories. You are the son of Alistair Crowley."

"Yes, I am and I'm very proud to be that."

"I wouldn't be considering he basically left you in the care of abusive caretakers who abused and degraded you and sexually assaulted you in order to damage and split your mind. That's what they did to you, shattered your mind and then manipulated you so you'd be their slave. Hardly something to be proud of."

"I come from a great family."

"You come from an evil family that has done nothing but ruin lives and enslave people and if they couldn't be enslaved, they were killed and blood was shed for a fictional demon that wouldn't give a damn about you if he were real," the Doctor said. "You have had years of indoctrination by these people and it's left you deluded about what love and power truly are. Your emotions are practically nonexistent now save for hate and rage which is exactly what they wanted to bring out in you. You're nothing more than a tool in the hands of humans who are far worse than any imaginary demon. I have done what I can. I have blocked off your urge to kill but there is much more to be done. You need serious psychiatric help, William, perhaps for the rest of your life. I'm sorry but you need to be taken somewhere where you can get some help. You can't live your life this way, thinking you're superior to everyone else and anyone who gets in your way can be killed and replaced. Don't you think that one day you might end up like Paul and Jane if someone becomes dissatisfied with you?"

"They'd never do that! I'm the son of Alistair…"

"These people don't give a damn!" the Doctor said angrily, "they don't give a damn about you, your pedigree or anything else. They care about results and if one day you fail them, you'll head will end up severed from your body and you'll be buried in Strawberry Field beside the man you're impersonating. I'm sorry, William, but you're still too much of a danger to be set free. You're going to sleep and this time I'm gonna make sure you can't wake up and when I get a spare moment, I'm taking you to get some psychiatric help."

"No! You can't do this!" William said as the Doctor grabbed his head and closed his eyes, "I'm the son of Alistair…"

He trailed off and his eyelids fluttered as he went back to sleep. They waited until about five minutes later when the Doctor finally let up and breathed a sigh of relief. He shook his head.

"I did what I could but they've had years to do this to him and I couldn't fix it all," the Doctor said sadly. "I don't know if he'll ever be completely sane but I can take him to an institution where they'll keep an eye on him and he can get the help he needs."

The Doctor looked up when Bill laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Could you take out my repressed memories now?" he said. "I…I'm just worried that I'm carrying something that might trigger a relapse and cause me to be like him."

The Doctor smiled fondly at him.

"I don't think you're as bad as him, Bill. But if you want me to check your memoires, I will. Lie down on the bed and make yourself comfortable."

Bill nodded. He lay down on an empty bed and smiled when Tia came up to the bed and watched him quietly. The Doctor knelt down beside her and put his hand on her head while she smiled at him.

"You're not capable of any cruelties like that, Bill," the Doctor said to him. "He's had years of indoctrination, you haven't. You don't have it in you to hurt others."

"All the same, I'd rather have the repressed memories checked and gone from my head," Bill said.

The Doctor nodded. Paul took Tia's hand and led her away while the Doctor put his fingers against Bill's temples.

"You aren't evil, my friend," he said to Bill. "You aren't capable of it and believe me; I'd trust you with my life any day."

Bill smiled at that and the Doctor closed his eyes and sent Bill into a deep sleep so he wouldn't have to view his memories. Paul, Jane and Tia sat down on the bed next to him and Amy sat down on the other side while the Doctor looked at his memories.

"Yes," the Doctor said while his eyes remained closed, "he was the victim of abuse in all forms when he was a child."

John cursed loudly while Paul raised his eyes skyward and muttered a curse against the Illuminati under his breath. The Doctor swallowed hard, his hearts aching as he watched one of his dearest friends suffering, being molested by his adopted father and being forced to have oral sex with him at the age of four.

"My friend, my very dearest friend, I will indeed take these horrible memories away from your head," the Doctor murmured. "I won't allow you to suffer any longer, consciously or unconsciously."

He began to go through his mind, drawing out and erasing the horrifying memories of abuse he saw. As he watched the beatings, molestations, rapes and torture, a tear trickled down his cheek and Paul got up and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Thank you for helping him," Paul said. "I imagine what you're seeing is horrifying, I can see it on your face and I'm glad he has someone like you to save him from that."

"I love humans," the Doctor said in a choked voice as he kept his eyes closed, "but sometimes your capacity for cruelty and depravity astounds even me. It sickens me to the core what they did to poor Bill and yet at the same time I'm also astonished he came through it with his sanity intact. Your brother has incredible inner strength."

"I know that, I can see it," Paul replied. "I just hope with these memories gone, his self esteem will go up."

"Oh, I think it will. I think you might see quite a change in him since his subconscious is no longer dealing with these horrors."

Paul squeezed his shoulder before he sat back down. While they waited for him to finish, John Smith came down the ladder and told everyone he was taking a break. While the Doctor continued to erase the trauma from Bill's mind, they filled him in on what happened. John Smith shook his head when they finished explaining what the Doctor was doing.

"Good, I'm glad he's being purged of these memories," John Smith said as he sat down beside Amy.

Twenty minutes later, the Doctor finished and woke Bill up while he leaned back and breathed a sigh of relief. Bill looked around and smiled when Paul and Jane walked over and helped him sit up.

"You're free now," Paul said, "the Doctor got rid of all the horrifying memories you had."

"Then it's true? I was like him?" Bill said to the Doctor. "I'm Alistair Crowley's son?"

"Yes," the Doctor said while Jane hugged him from behind, "you are but you don't have to claim him as your father. He was never a father to you anyway; you were just one of his many babies he had that were going to be used as tools."

"Trust me, I'm not claiming the bastard, I want nothing to do with him," Bill said. "Thank you for doing that for me."

The Doctor got up, leaned forward and gave him a hug.

"You're a lot stronger than you realize, Bill," the Doctor said in his ear, "I knew that before but after seeing what I saw, I am convinced of it. You're more than worthy to be my companion."

Bill smiled at that and hugged him while everyone smiled at that. The Doctor finished the hug and looked around at everyone before he looked at John Smith.

"John, can you go get Rory and Pepa? I want to speak to them about Rose."

John Smith nodded and climbed up the ladder so he could find them.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty Four

After everyone gathered in the sleeping quarters, the Doctor began by giving everyone a brief explanation of who Rose was and what had happened to her to bring everyone up to speed. Once he was finished with that, he told them his idea about going to get her and his clone.

"So we're going to get your former girlfriend and another one like him?" Ringo asked, pointing to John Smith.

"Yes. But the difference is even though he and the clone resemble each other the other clone is only half human while he's all human. But you won't be able to see that difference. Even though I would like to see Rose, the main reason I'm getting her and him is because we need the help. Rose is a seasoned fighter; she traveled with me for a couple of years and worked for an organization called Torchwood who trained her further. She will be an asset to us and my clone will as well. The Diablon are fierce fighters and I'm sure by now they have the whole of Pepperland subjugated. We need all the help we can get to free everyone. I wanted to ask what you thought of this since you're in the ship with me and it isn't fair for me to go off on a personal mission when we're trying to get back to Pepperland."

"I think the more help we can get the better," Paul said. "Former girlfriend or not, if she can fight, we need her."

Everyone murmured their agreement of that and the Doctor nodded.

"I figured you wouldn't mind but I wanted to be sure because as I said, this is really a personal diversion when we're trying to get back home. I know how to get to her universe and I'm fairly sure I can get to her London since I made it to Norway. John," he said, looking at John Smith, "how's the wiring?"

"I believe it's passable, at least for us to make the jump to another universe. It will take more work but I think the navigation is reliable enough for you to try this."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go get Rose," Rory said.

"Very well, I'll go input the coordinates to her universe while everyone here cross your fingers and hope for the best," he said to them.

They watched while he climbed the ladder and left them alone.

"Ooo, we get to meet his missus now," John said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Yeah, we get to find out a little more about the Doctor," Paul said.

"Why? You don't know much about him?" John said to him.

"I know a little, there's a lot I don't know," Paul said with a shrug.

"And you're flying around with him?" George said.

"Yeah, isn't it brilliant?" Paul replied.

"See, always said Paulie was off his trolley, now we have proof," John said while they laughed.

"And we're apparently off our trolleys as well since we're in the same ship with him," George added.

"Yeah, if you think I'm nuts, why are you in here?" Paul countered.

He grunted when John ran over and gave him a bear hug.

"Cause we love ya, that's why!" he said.

They laughed when John gave him a big wet sloppy kiss and ran back to his bed. They gasped when the ship started to vibrate again.

"I s'pose we're going over that void thing again," Paul said while they held on.

"I hate when we do this," Ringo added.

"Yeah, it makes me think the ship's gonna break apart," Bill added as he kept his arm around Michelle.

The vibrating stopped and a moment later, John Smith appeared at the hole.

"I believe we're here," he said.

"We're in Rose's universe?" Amy asked.

"Think so. The Doctor's flying to the house Rose's father owns. Luckily we've been there before so he knows the way. Makes it easy when you don't have to ask for directions. So everyone hold tight and hopefully we'll be there in a few minutes."

Meanwhile, Rose was outside the Tyler family home, wearing a two piece red bathing suit while she was sunning herself on a lawn chair. It was her day off from working at Torchwood and she was determined to soak up the morning sun and get a bit of a tan for her fiancée. The half human Doctor who took the name Jeremy was currently living in a flat near Chiswick. Much to their dismay, Donna and her family didn't live there but he found the neighborhood nice and he decided to live there in order to give Rose and her family some space while he decided what it was he wanted to do with his life. He had tried several things but so far he hadn't found anything that was satisfying him. Rose knew he missed traveling and was trying to find something to take its place and that's why he was going from one thing to another in a desperate search to find his niche.

While she sunned herself, she kept her eyes closed. She frowned when suddenly she sensed the light being blocked out and she cursed.

"Bloody rain," she said with a sigh.

She opened her eyes and they bulged out when she didn't see a raincloud above her but a big yellow ship slowly descending in front of her. She leapt up from the lawn chair and hurried back to the veranda of her house while the ship slowly landed.

"MUM!" she screamed towards an open window in the front of the house, "MUM, GET DAD. ALIENS ARE LANDING ON OUR GARDEN!"

The ship landed with a thump and powered down. Rose stood on the veranda and watched with a mixture of curiosity and trepidation as the side hatch lowered in front of her. She got in a fighting stance when the hatch lowered completely. Then to her shock, Paul peeked around the opening and peered at her.

"Rose?" he said.

"Yeah?" Rose said hesitantly.

Then it hit her who this man was and her eyes bulged again.

"Wait? Aren't you Paul McCartney?" she said in disbelief.

Paul grinned.

"At your service," he said with a little bow.

Then Rose realized that the ship resembled a yellow submarine. She stood frozen in shock as Paul came down the ramp holding Jane and Tia's hands. Behind him came the Beatles, then Amy and Rory, Bill and Michelle and finally Pepa. They all looked around and headed towards her. Rose stared at the four Beatles coming towards her and shook her head slowly, wondering if she was dreaming. Just then, the door opened and Jackie stepped out onto the veranda with Pete. They stared at everyone.

"Wait? Isn't that John Lennon?" Jackie said, pointing at him as they came forward. "What the hell is this? Who are all these people?"

Rose's eyes glanced up when John Smith hesitantly stepped out onto the ramp.

"Jeremy?" Rose said, "you…you found a ship. And…"

She stared at the Beatles who were standing in front of the veranda with the others.

"You found a way to go back in time and you…brought the Beatles to me?" Rose said as everyone in front of her chuckled.

She frowned when a strange man stepped out onto the ramp beside John Smith. She took in his youthful appearance, tweed jacket and bow tie and watched while the two of them came down the ramp together. Both men had wistful looks on their faces as they approached. Rose looked from them back to the little group in front of her and back to the two men.

"Okay, what the hell is going on?" Jackie finally said, going down the steps and heading towards John Smith. "Jeremy, who are all these people?"

Rose heard Paul saying, "Jeremy, that's his name?" to Jane. She stared at his face and felt herself getting turned on. She had always loved the Beatles since she was a little girl and Paul had always been her favorite and she had to admit, the man was dead sexy in person. Paul glanced up at her and winked, a gesture the made her heart melt into goo. She looked at the two men who continued to walk towards Rose while Jackie walked with them and demanded an explanation. Finally, the Doctor sighed.

"Jackie, some space please? I'll explain everything but please back up and give me room," he said.

Jackie backed up but followed them as the two men walked up the steps and stood in front of Rose. Rose's eyes darted from one man to the other.

"Who are you?" she asked the Doctor. "Jeremy, who are all these people? How did you build a time machine and manage to keep it a secret?"

"My name is not Jeremy," John Smith said. "I'm John. I'm not from this universe."

Rose stared at him for a moment and then her eyes widened when his words sank in.

"Doctor!" she screamed as she ran to him and threw her arms around him. "It's you! The proper Doctor."

"No, actually, I'm a clone like your Doctor," he said to her.

Rose's face fell.

"You're a clone as well? How…how did it happen then? Where's the Doctor?"

"Here, Rose."

Rose's face turned towards the man in the tweed jacket and he gave her a loving smile. Rose stared at him silently, taking in his appearance.

"You…you regenerated again?" she said.

The Doctor nodded.

"Yeah, I wasn't able to save myself for a second time," he said.

Rose let go of the clone and walked over to him. The Doctor smiled tenderly while she examined him and looked into his eyes. Her eyes misted over slightly as she suddenly embraced him. The Doctor smiled and held her close while his companions smiled at that.

"How?" Rose said in his ear, "how did you regenerate?"

"I'll explain but I need to ask a favor. I need your help, yours and my clone's. Where is he?"

"He's in a flat near Chiswick," Rose said. "We're engaged but he's living apart from me at the moment so he can sort himself out and find a career. His name's Jeremy."

"Chiswick? Donna?"

"No, Donna's not here, not in Chiswick anyway, we looked," Rose said. "What about your Donna? Is she here? And what are the Beatles doing here?"

Everyone laughed as the four Beatles bowed to her.

"We're his companions, Madam," Paul said.

"What? You're travelin' with the bleedin' Beatles now?" Rose said while everyone laughed.

"I'll explain but first can we go get Jeremy? I want him to hear what I have to say."

"Yeah, we can take my car, except…"

"Jackie, do you mind if the others stay here while John and I go with Rose?" the Doctor said to her.

"We won't bite," John said.

Jackie looked at the Beatles who were smiling warmly at her.

"Have the Beatles in my house? You bet," Jackie said while they laughed.

"Can the rest of them come in or are you just inviting the Beatles inside?" John Smith said.

"No, they're all invited. Just hurry up and go get Jeremy, the rest of you come inside and have a cuppa while you wait."

Pepa went to close up his ship while the others walked up the steps. Rose, John Smith and the Doctor headed the other way. While Rose took them around to her car, she glanced up at the Doctor.

"I missed ya, you left without saying goodbye," she said.

"Under the circumstances, I thought it best to just leave the two of you alone," the Doctor said. "You were kissing Jeremy and I didn't want to disturb that. I had to leave, I told you that. I couldn't stick around and wait for the snogging to end. I'm sorry, Rose. I'm sorry if I upset you but I stand by my decision. I can't be there for you like Jeremy can."

Rose nodded.

"But can we at least still be friends, close friends?" she asked.

"There was never any problem with that, Rose. You always have my friendship," the Doctor said. "I just want you to know that it couldn't work out between us. I…you drive a camaro?" he said when he saw the red car with a two black stripes running from the back of it to the front.

"Yeah, dad gave it to me for my birthday last year, get in."

The Doctor waited until John Smith got in the back and then he got in the passenger side. John Smith settled himself in the back while the Doctor closed the door and watched Rose walk around to the other side.

"So far, so good, at least she isn't cursing your name to the four winds," John Smith said just before Rose got in.

Rose glanced at the Doctor as she took her keys out of her pocket.

"You look good," she said. "Just so you aren't wonderin'. Outfits a bit…strange though?"

"Gee, thanks, Rose," the Doctor said while his counterpart sniggered.

Rose started the car and headed out of the driveway.

"I'm glad you're alright," Rose said while she drove. "I was worried. Well, that's nothin' new, I s'pose, I always worried about ya. You've only had one regeneration, yeah?"

"Yes, this is my eleventh body."

Rose nodded.

"You look good, slightly younger but I like it."

"I'm glad you approve," the Doctor said.

"I have to tell ya, there's one thing I am angry about," Rose said.

"Yes?" the Doctor said with trepidation.

Rose giggled.

"You waited till I left to bring the Beatles on board, ya bastard?" she said.

The Doctor grinned while John Smith giggled.

"Believe me, that was by accident for the most part. I'll explain when everyone's together."

"And you?" Rose said, glancing back at John Smith, "you're another half human clone?"

"No, I'm completely human but I'm still extremely intelligent," he replied.

"Human? Where'd ya come from then?"

"Pepa made him, without my permission I might add," the Doctor said. "The place we were at was under attack and Pepa made him after learning I was a Time Lord in the hopes that he would be able to help me repel the invasion."

"And did you?" Rose said, stopping at a traffic light.

"No. And that's part of the reason why we're here. We need your help and Jeremy's as well," the Doctor said. "We need all the help we can get and I know the two of you can fight."

"And the other part?" Rose said as she turned left.

"I missed you, we both did," the Doctor said while John Smith nodded in agreement.

Rose smiled and patted both their cheeks.

"I miss ya too. Life's not too bad with Jeremy but he's still trying to find himself. Without a TARDIS, he's a bit lost, to be honest," she said. "We got engaged a couple months ago. Took him awhile but he finally felt ready to commit to me."

"I'm glad," the Doctor said. "I want you to be happy, that's all I've ever wanted."

Rose nodded. She took his hand and gave it a squeeze and he smiled as he squeezed back. The Doctor looked back at John Smith when he tapped him on the shoulder.

"Remember when Paul asked when we'd meet Jeremy? I think this is it," he said.

Rose frowned.

"Huh? Paul? Paul McCartney?" she said.

"Yes. It's complicated but…"

He briefly explained about the connections to Yellow Submarine while Rose drove and listened in silent shock.

"Paul figured at some point we'd meet Jeremy from the film," John Smith said when he finished his explanation. "It seems a tad too coincidental that the other clone's name is Jeremy."

"But…I know that film, I have it on DVD. Jeremy is this little beast thing with a bunny tail. My Jeremy doesn't look like that."

"No, but the events we described haven't matched the film 100 percent," the Doctor said. "There are just similarities."

"But…my Jeremy, how does he fit with the film then?"

"In the film," John Smith said, "Jeremy was the Nowhere Man. You know, he's a real nowhere man, sitting in a nowhere land, making all his nowhere plans for nobody. Doesn't have a point of view, knows not where he's going to, isn't he a bit like you and me?"

Rose's mouth dropped.

"God, I hate to admit it but that's Jeremy right now. He is sorta lost and can't decide what he wants to do or be."

"Then we were right to come here," John Smith said, "since the similarities are obviously continuing."

"But wait, what about me, where do I fit in?" Rose said. "Jeremy didn't have a fiancée in the film."

"Yes, but I said we weren't following the film to the letter just that there are many similarities. Nothing so far has fit the film except for the way Pepperland looks and the basic structure of the ship which resembles the submarine. Everything else has been very loosely based on the film. We've been hopping from dimension to dimension after taking an emergency jump and we've landed in one dimension where Bill was aged almost to the point of death like the scene in the Sea of Time and I suppose the robot fashion show qualifies as the Sea of Science."

"Robot fashion show?" Rose said while John Smith turned beet red.

"We'll explain, promise. Trust me; you'll get a laugh out of the robot fashion show."

"Oh yeah, it was a real rib tickler alright," John Smith said, rolling his eyes.

"Okay, well, here we are at any rate," Rose said as she slowed down and pulled into a car park next to an apartment building.

She found a parking spot, stopped the car and got out. Everyone followed her as she led them to the entrance to the apartment building.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty Five

Jeremy smiled when he put the finishing touches on a tree he was painting. He had an easel set up in his living room and was currently painting a nature scene, a deer standing in the middle of a forest. He heard the knock on his door and put his brush in a small jar of water while he wiped his hands on a paint covered rag and took off a paint covered smock.

"Coming," he called out as he threw the smock on a wooden chair in front of the easel. He opened the door and smiled when Rose embraced him. The smile fell off his face when he saw John Smith.

"Oh no," he said as he let go of Rose, "bollocks! He found a way back."

"I'm not him! This is him!" John Smith said as he pointed to the Doctor standing beside him.

Jeremy smirked when he saw him.

"Aw, what's wrong, have a little boo boo and change bodies again?" he sneered. "Maybe if I'd been there blowing things up, it wouldn't have happened."

"Jeremy, stop!" Rose said angrily.

"No, Rose, he has a right to be angry."

"Too right I do," Jeremy said. "You kicked me out the door with Rose and now you're back for her? Well, tough! You're not breaking her heart again!"

"I don't want her except as a friend," the Doctor said, holding up his hands. "I want to bury the hatchet and I don't mean that literally either."

"Why?" Jeremy said suspiciously. "And…who's he if he isn't you?"

"He was another clone that was created while I was unconscious. I'll explain everything but first, can we come inside so we can talk?'

Jeremy sighed and nodded his head. He took Rose's hand and stepped back so they could enter.

"Great," Jeremy muttered and shut the door as they walked into the room.

"Jeremy, please, hear them out, yeah?" Rose said. "Don't jump to conclusions. They need our help."

"Yes, we need your help, both of you," the Doctor said.

"Really? Because the last time I tried to help you, I ended up here. Not sure I wanna help again since I might end up in a supernova next."

"Look, I'm sorry. I apologize for what I did. It was unfair and I really do want to make amends here. So could you please let up on the hostility, at least until you hear me out?"

Jeremy nodded.

"Say what you have to say then, I'm listening," he said.

"Well…I was hoping you'd come back to the Tyler place, I have more people and I want everyone to be in one place when we talk," the Doctor said. "Are you busy?"

"Not really, just painting at the moment," Jeremy said, gesturing to the easel.

"This is wonderful," the Doctor said as he and John Smith walked over to it. "How long have you been at it?"

"That? For a few weeks. Painting in general, a couple of months. I took several classes on painting, sculpture, drawing and I took a writing class. I've been bored and trying to find a hobby I like. That's just the latest pursuit."

"Like Jeremy in the film, he was painting, composing, writing a book when the Beatles found him," John Smith said to the Doctor.

"Huh? What are you on about? Beatles?" Jeremy said while Rose laughed.

"Just come with us, love," Rose said. "They'll explain everything back at the house."

"Okay, let me use the loo and make sure everything is alright before I go."

The Doctor nodded and they waited while Jeremy went to use the loo.

Once he was done and his flat was locked up, Jeremy followed the others to Rose's car. She drove them back to the Tyler mansion and once they were inside, the Doctor introduced everyone. Rose laughed at Jeremy's delight when he saw the Beatles and they shook his hand. They made small talk in the living room while Jackie and her cook prepared a dinner of roast, potatoes and broccoli. Once that was ready, they retired to the formal dining room since the table there could seat thirty. They ate and drank wine while Tia and Tony drank milk and it was there that the Doctor began his tale starting with the details surrounding his death and regeneration. He moved on to meeting Amy and he, Amy and Rory took turns giving a brief summation of their adventures. Then everyone except for Tia told his or her story to Rose, Jeremy, Jackie and Pete who were listening in an enraptured silence while Tia ate her dinner beside Tony. After they finished eating, they stopped talking long enough to help clear the table and then they went into the living room with tea and slices of chocolate cake. Once they were settled in the living room, Paul continued telling them about meeting the Doctor and Amy and Rory and what happened to him. While everyone continued to take turns telling their story, Tia sat on the floor and played with Tony and Jane smiled when the two of them crawled around the floor and chased each other while they tried to hide behind the furniture.

It took them about two and a half more hours for everyone to finish and bring Jackie and her family up to date on everything that had been happening.

"So at the moment you're hopin' to wipe these Diablons out before they take over everything," Rose said when they finished.

"Yes, we went back in time because as Paul pointed out, there were too many and they were too entrenched in his time. We defeated one, another one would step up to take his place, so we decided to go back to the beginning and defeat them before they can do anything," the Doctor said. "But the invasion was beginning when we did the dimensional jump and I'm sure we'll have our work cut out for us when we find our way back. We need an army of sorts and we came here to ask you to join us."

"I'm in but I do have a question," Rose said.

"And that is?" the Doctor said.

"If we do this, are we comin' back here right after the battle?"

"That's up to you. I'm not gonna force you to come back this time. I'm not gonna kick you out of the TARDIS, the choice is up to you whether or not you wish to come with me or come back here and I extend that choice to both you and Jeremy."

Jeremy raised his eyebrows and glanced at his fiancée.

"What do you think?" he said to her.

"I'd like to but…Mum, dad, what do you think?"

"It's up to you, love, you're an adult now," Jackie said. "Just make sure you make the right decision since I'm sure the Doctor won't have this spaceship forever and you said you can't make dimensional jumps in your TARDIS, is that right?"

"No, I can't and she's right, I don't care if you want to come with me, just choose wisely," he said to them. "Also know that if you come with me, you'll be sharing space with, at the very least, Amy, Rory, Bill, Michelle, Paul, Jane and Tia."

"Wow, travelin' with Paul McCartney, sign me up!"

"Oi!" Jeremy said while everyone laughed and Paul pumped his fist in the air.

"So what do you think?" Rose said to her fiancé.

"I have no real life here; I'm a Nowhere Man just like they said. I can go or stay, it makes no difference. Whatever you decide is fine with me."

Rose fell silent, thinking it over while everyone waited. Finally, after five minutes, she looked at Jackie and Pete.

"Mum, dad, I have to. I have to go. I belong with the Doctor, if not as his girlfriend then as his companion. Torchwood is fine but I belong out there among the stars and I want Jeremy to come with me, he doesn't belong here either. We're both Nowhere Men here. I'm sorry but I need to do this, I hope you both understand."

Jackie rose from her seat and went to hug her. Pete followed and everyone smiled when Rose hugged them tightly and kissed them both. After they did that, Jackie walked over to the Doctor.

"I'm leaving her in your hands now and I want her looked after," Jackie said. "No leaving her and Jeremy on an alien planet when you grow tired of them, d'ya hear?"

"I give you my word I will look after them and I won't do that to them," he said to her. "I do have one request though, Rose."

"Yeah?" Rose said.

He grinned.

"You mentioned you had the Yellow Submarine film on DVD. Mind showing it to everyone here before we go so everyone will know what the hell we're talking about when we mentioned similarities between the film and real life?" he said.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty Six

After watching the film, everyone accepted a couple of wicker picnic baskets filled with food for the journey and Rose kissed and hugged everyone goodbye while they waited. Once she was finished, Jackie and Pete walked with her to the ship and gave her one last hug and kiss. She gave Tony one last hug and kiss and waved as she walked up the ramp. Rose stood there and waved goodbye while the ramp went up. Once it was up, Pete picked Tony up and led his wife away as tears rolled down her cheeks. They stood on the veranda and watched while the ship started up, lifted up into the air and flew off.

Once they were airborne, Pepa minded the console while the Doctor and John Smith led the others back to the wiring they were working on. Jeremy sat down on the floor beside John Smith and whistled when he got a look at the wiring.

"Blimey, it's a wonder you're able to fly this thing," he said.

"I know. I managed to sort out some of it but there's still some left," John Smith said. "I managed to get it functional to the point that we were able to get to your universe successfully but we still have to make it functional enough that we know we'll be able to get back to Pepperland without having to go through 2 billion worlds."

"You know, I've been thinking," the Doctor said while he stood beside them, "This Sea of Holes depicted in the film…perhaps, there is one void that acts as a onetime gateway to all the other realities and that's what the holes represent. And if we find it, we can find Pepperland, the Sea of Green."

"How do we find the Sea of Holes though?" Paul asked.

"No idea," the Doctor said.

"Perhaps there's a marker of some sort," Jeremy said. "Something that points the way to it."

"If we had the TARDIS, I could have asked her to run a scan and see if she could locate it but without her, it's just more guesswork."

"And more realities to go through," John Smith said.

"Including the Sea of Monsters," Rory said as they groaned.

"And the Sea of Science, unless our little modeling act was it," Paul said.

"Well…" the Doctor said with a sigh, "we can't stay here, we have to risk it and see where we land up. If we're still following events in the film, perhaps we'll find another sea that's depicted in the film."

"Please not the Sea of Monsters, I don't wanna end up riding a monster while I scream for help," Ringo said.

"Sod that, what about that vacuum thing," George said, "I don't wanna get sucked into it."

"What came before the Sea of Holes?" Ringo said.

"Me singing to those head statues," John said. "Any idea where those are at?"

"Well, apparently I try to fix the rudder and strand everybody so I'm not touching any part of the ship without supervision," Jeremy said, holding his hands up. "I'm not gonna get blamed for something else, I learned my lesson about that."

"Well, we have to find the heads, find the pepper, get the heads to sneeze and knock us down a big hole where we find this Sea of Holes thing," John said. "Like I said, any ideas where to start looking?"

"And even if we do find it, will the Sea of Green hole be colored green?" Paul said.

"And will I get kidnapped by the Blue Meanies if we do find it since I'm supposedly an ugly little beastie with a pink bunny tail," Jeremy said. "Never thought I'd find myself pulled into the middle of a real life version of Yellow Submarine."

"I s'pose I'll go tell Pepa to try a dimensional jump and see where we land up," the Doctor said with a sigh. "Everyone else better go below since we'll be crossing the void again."

Everyone led Rose and Jeremy to the sleeping quarters.

"So, having finally seen this daft film," John said as they walked towards the hatch, "I noticed that we're supposed to find more doubles of ourselves and possibly sing to awake the inhabitants of Pepperland. Does anyone think that will become a reality?"

"It could if Pepa makes clones of all of you," Amy said.

"No thanks, I already dealt with one evil clone, don't want another," Paul said, making a face.

"Are we gonna have to sing all you need is love and make magical words that will ensnare that big, blue hand?" George asked.

"I hope not, I didn't even know the song existed till I watched the film," John said. "We'll let the ones who know the song handle that part of the scenario. I'll be hidin' in the player piano waiting for the many bodied bulldog to come along so we can sing the bulldog song to it."

They reached the hole. Paul stepped in front of everyone.

"Ladies, first, since there's now so many lovely ones," he said.

"Cor, listen to you, the smooth talker as always," George said as they woman laughed and began to climb down.

When Rose climbed down, she noticed William lying on a bed nearest the ladder.

"This him then?" she said to Amy, "the evil version of Bill?"

"Yeah, we have to keep him knocked out indefinitely because the man's a nutter, not like our Bill who's a sweetheart."

"What are you going to do with him?" Rose asked her.

"I think the Doctor's going to send him to an institution for some help but I don't think he's fit to travel with us. He's too dangerous. He did all those horrible things to Jane's double; I wouldn't trust him around our Jane."

"No, I wouldn't either," Rose said, shaking her head. "That's just horrible what he did."

She bent over and examined him.

"It's funny, my mum loved the Beatles and I grew up listening to the albums but…I never thought that Paul had been replaced," she said. "But looking at him, he looks just like Paul on the Sergeant Pepper album, it's surreal."

She saw Bill coming over with Michelle and stared at him.

"So you did replace Paul before the Doctor fixed things?" she said to him.

"Yes," Bill said.

Rose looked at him and shook her head.

"I can't believe I fell for it. Now that I know the truth, you look nothing like Paul and neither does he," she said, pointing to William.

"I know, that's what amazes me. I keep telling everyone I don't look that much like Paul but I guess people didn't want to admit he might be dead and pretended not to see," he replied.

Paul was coming down the ladder with Jane and Tia and heard him. He sauntered over to Bill.

"Yes," he said with feigned smugness as he put his arm around him. "No one can replace little ole moi!"

Bill rolled his eyes and Paul gave Rose a big toothy grin while Jane laughed. Then to Rose's surprise, Paul came forward and embraced her, his eyes smoldering.

"So," he said in a seductive voice while Rose stared at him in a shocked silence, "I'm your favorite Beatle? Good. I like it when people say that I'm their favorite, it makes fornication and baby producing so much easier when they're willing and…"

He looked back and did an exaggerated double take as everyone laughed.

"Jane! I didn't see you standing there! I'm sorry! I was just…"

He laughed when Jane smacked his back repeatedly.

"I was just having ya on, Jane, honestly," he said while Jane swatted his head.

He chuckled and shook Rose's hand.

"Nah, I do like women but I'm committed to the lady behind me," he said to her. "I better be since I just married her. What about you though? You said you were engaged, you gonna let the Doctor find a place where you can do a commitment ceremony after all this is over with? That's what he did for us."

"I might. I have to talk it over with Jeremy. It took him ages to get him to propose to me."

"Same here. I had to bend Paul's ear just to say I do," Jane said to her. "He does have a bit of an eye for the ladies. They used to call him The Bull. Do you know how many paternity suits the man has?"

"Hello, I'm right here!" Paul said, waving his arms.

Jane smiled and ignored him.

"I mean every ten seconds here comes another tart holding a baby in her arms and screaming it's his," she said, trying not to laugh while Paul tapped her shoulder repeatedly. "I've had to go to court so often I know the judge by name now. So if I were you, I'd beware because I don't think he was havin' ya on just then."

"Bill, knock some sense into Jane so she'll stop rabbiting on about me and my many babies," Paul said to his brother.

"I mean, you oughta see these whores he's shagging, it's…"

Paul laughed when Bill bopped her on the head. Jane turned and Bill shrugged.

"I have to do what he says, I'm his assistant," he said innocently.

Paul laughed when Jane chased him to the back of the room and swatted his back and tickled him. Tia laughed and ran up behind her mother and stopped to watch while everyone else laughed. While they were doing that, the Beatles came down the ladder with Jeremy and John Smith. John paused on the ladder when he saw Jane swatting Bill's back.

"Oh no, Billy's turned against us!" John said, leaping off the ladder. "We're stuck in this submarine with a ravin' maniac, to arms, brethren!"

Jane let off on her assault and Paul walked over as Bill peeked over his shoulder.

"Is it safe now?" he asked Paul.

"Yes, Audrey, you can stop cowering in terror now. Everything is fine..."

Suddenly they gasped when they heard a loud bang and the ship lurched. Everyone looked up at the ceiling.

"What the hell was that?" Jane said.

"I don't know but I have a feeling we better go find the Doctor," Rory said.

There was another bang and the ship rocked for a moment. Everyone looked at each other and ran to the ladder.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty Seven

The Doctor sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. Directly outside the windshield in front of him was a small furry pink cat-like alien with wide yellow eyes and muzzle and suction cups for feet. It was using the suction cup feet to hang on to the windshield while it stared at the Doctor with wide eyes and shrieked like a blue jay at him. The shrieking was beginning to grate on the Doctor's nerves but they had bigger problems. He sensed his companions coming up behind him and he looked behind him as they came up and stared at the cat alien.

"What the hell is that thing?" John said, pointing to it.

"Offhand, I'd say it's a fuzzy pink cat alien that is shrieking like a banshee and giving me a headache," the Doctor said dryly.

"So, that's what's making the ship shake?" Paul said.

They gasped when the ship rocked again and looked up at the ceiling. The Doctor gave them a wry grin as he pointed up.

"No, that would be the thingy on top of the ship. Apparently it thinks the ship is a large yellow trampoline," he said to them.

"Can't you do something about it?" Amy asked him.

"Yeah, isn't there a boxing button or something?" George added.

They gasped when the ship lurched again. Jane comforted Tia when she began to cry and the cat alien's screeches became louder.

"If we have a boxing button, I wanna use it on this thing first!" the Doctor growled as he pointed at the alien.

They gasped when the ship rocked again. Pepa sighed.

"Right, going to try evasive maneuvers before the ship falls apart, hang on!" he said as he flipped a switch.

Everyone staggered about while Pepa flew downward. Their eyes widened when they saw an assortment of aliens flying around.

"Oh crap, the Sea of Monsters," Rory said as he hung on to the back of Pepa's chair.

The Doctor glared at the cat alien who was still clinging to the windshield while it screeched at him. He leaned up and knocked on the windshield.

"GO AWAY! LEAVE US ALONE!" he screamed while he pounded on the windshield.

He sighed when the cat continued to screech.

"Normally, I don't advocate using guns but I'm nearly ready to pop a cap in this cat's ass," he muttered as he stared at it.

They yelled when the ship rocked again. Pepa sighed angrily.

"Right! I'm getting rid of this other thing. Brace yourselves!"

He hit the emergency brake and the ship lurched. Everyone stumbled into each other while Pepa and the Doctor held on to their seats. They watched through the windshield as a beast slid off the top of the ship and fell howling past them. It was a cross between a gazelle and a zebra. Pepa started the ship up and they slowly flew past bird-like creatures and huge bat-like creatures and even a flying dolphin. Pepa slowly descended as he flew and they noticed that there seemed to be land below them with more beasts of various shapes and sizes walking around. The Doctor glanced at the pink cat that had fallen silent and was now staring at him with wide yellow eyes as if he was shocked to see him. His companions laughed when the Doctor flipped him off and settled back in his chair. Pepa flew close to the land and they could see green grass and a few trees with green leaves and rocks.

"Where are we?" Rose said while she watched a pterodactyl fly alongside them.

The Doctor cheered when the pterodactyl turned in mid air and grabbed the screeching cat in its long beak before it flew away. He coughed when everyone looked at him.

"Sorry, know that was heartless but on the other hand, my headache will go away now," he said to them.

The ship flew on and they stared at the creatures who were walking by the ship, stopping occasionally to stare at them while they flew past. Then suddenly a proximity alarm went off and Pepa stopped the ship. Everyone stared out at the blackness in front of them.

"What's wrong?" George finally asked.

"Something's in front of us blocking our way," Pepa said, looking back at him.

They stared out the windshield but they couldn't see anything except inky blackness. Then suddenly Paul had a thought.

"Hey, where are all the stars and planets?" he said.

"Precisely what I was thinking," the Doctor said. "Pepa, how large is this obstacle according to your scanners?"

"Huge, monstrous, it's right in front of us and I can't detect a way around it," Pepa said, glancing at his monitor.

"But…there's nothing there, just darkness," Rose said, gesturing to the windshield.

Jeremy muttered to himself as he came closer to the windshield.

"What's wrong?" the Doctor said to him.

"Pepa, do you have headlights or a spotlight on the front, something that you could shine straight ahead?" Jeremy asked him.

Pepa nodded. He pressed a button and a large door slid down and a spotlight turned on. They stared out and noticed something shimmering in the distance.

"Can you take us closer to that shimmer?" Jeremy asked him.

Pepa started the engines and slowly inched closer, ignoring the proximity alarm for a moment and then he stopped again. The shimmering was more pronounced now and it was wider than it was before.

"I don't think we're in outer space," Jeremy finally said. "I think the reason the obstacle is so huge is because it's a wall. I think we're in a room of some sort, like a menagerie with all the animals around us held in captivity."

"I'll do a sonar reading on all sides of the ship," Pepa said, pressing another button, "that'll confirm or deny your theory."

"We jumped from the void into a large room?" Rose said.

The Doctor shrugged.

"It's possible, Rose. Remember, you left your world through Canary Wharf," he said. "The void is the space between universes. It's possible to go in and out at any point then."

"So if we got in here, we can get back out again, right?" Bill said. "This isn't a one way trip, I hope?"

"As long as Pepa can dimensional jump, we can go out the way we came," the Doctor replied. "What we're doing is different than using a wormhole, now that method you do have to be at a certain spot."

"Jeremy's right, we're in a very large room," Pepa said, glancing at his monitor. "It must be someone's zoo."

"Well, let's get out of here before we end up being a part of it," John said.

"Or get eaten," Ringo added.

Pepa nodded. He began attempting a dimensional jump and frowned when he pressed a button and nothing happened.

"Odd…" he murmured.

"What is?" the Doctor said.

"It's not working," Pepa said while everyone gave each other a nervous glance. "Let me try again…"

He tried the dimensional jump sequence again and hit the final button. He pressed it and then pressed it again and again.

"Something's jamming it," Pepa said. "We can't make the jump. I'll move away from the wall and try it again."

He pressed a few more buttons and his eyes went wide.

"It won't move," he said to everyone. "Someone's jamming the controls."

They gasped when the ship jerked and suddenly began to lower to the ground. They looked out the windshield and saw squares of electricity covering it. Pepa didn't notice it while he tried to raise the ship out. He looked at the Doctor when he put a hand on the alien's arm and pointed to the squares.

"They have us caught in an electronet," he said to him. "That's why we're going down. Someone's reeling us in."

"What do we do?" Ringo asked.

The Doctor and Pepa shared a look.

"Everyone get below in the storage area," the Doctor said. "I'll stay up here and deal with whoever tries to get in here. Pepa, you go as well."

"No, Doctor, let me come with you," Rose said.

"No, Rose, stay here and help defend the ship. I'll be okay, I promise," he said, giving her hand a squeeze. "Now everyone hurry before our hosts arrive."

"Come on, everyone, don't argue," John Smith said.

Rose and Amy gave the Doctor hugs and he smiled as he hugged them back and told them not to worry about him. Rose took Jeremy's hand and Amy took Rory's and they followed everyone else back to the storage area while the Doctor switched over to the driver's seat and waited.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter Twenty Eight

Pepa closed the hatch and locked it when everyone was down in the storage compartment. Jane sat Tia down on the blankets and gave her the doll to play with while Paul stood nearby and glanced up at the locked hatch.

"Think this'll work? Last time we tried this, I ended up in my smalls with a beehive on my head."

He eyed John when he let out a snicker.

"Sorry, couldn't help it," John said as Ringo and George came up beside him, "You have to admit that was funny. More funny than Psycho William with a bloody nose. Speaking of, maybe we should feed the sod to the pterodactyl out there. Then again, poor thing might get indigestion."

While he was talking, Rose was standing by the ladder, looking up at it with a worried look on his face. Jeremy came up behind her and kissed her neck.

"Worrying about him?" he asked.

She looked at him and saw the sad expression on his face. She gave him a kiss.

"I'm worrying about him only as a friend," she said. "I'm worried that something might happen. I've been with him through two regenerations now; I don't wanna see him do it again. He doesn't have that many lives left, yeah?"

"He has more to spare than I and John do," Jeremy replied. "Besides, he's a clever lad, he's made it this far. He knows what he's doing and…"

He looked down and Jane laughed when he saw Tia poking him in the leg while she gave him a mischievous look. Jeremy bent down and picked her up as she laughed.

"Now this one…this one is trouble, you can just tell," Jeremy said, holding her close. "She used to be a cavewoman which means she might be climbing all over things and bashing us in the head and doing other…caveman things."

Rose laughed when Tia put her hand over his mouth and he mmmphed angrily which made her giggle even more. He smiled at Jane when she came up beside him and tickled her armpits.

"She's beautiful," Jeremy said.

"Yes, she is. And you're right, she's a handful but…she's worth it. I'm glad we adopted her," Jane said, smoothing back her hair while Tia sat in the crook of Jeremy's arm. "I just hate that she got thrown into the middle of all this. Her and Michelle, everyone else is here by choice but not them."

"Yeah but we'll look after them," Jeremy said while Tia watched him with her big, brown eyes. "She's a tough little girl. Have to be if she grew up in a cave and…"

He shut up and everyone fell silent when they heard someone yelling for surrender above them followed by the Doctor yelling back not to shoot, that he's unarmed. Pepa shook his head.

"He's insane," Pepa said to everyone. "What if they do something to him?"

"Better they do something to him than to us," Rose said, "he's always been that way. He puts himself first so we'll be safe."

"Yes, but what happens when we have to go and rescue him," Pepa said. "Aren't we putting ourselves in danger then? So, what's the difference?"

"If we rescue him, we'll have to divide up," Rory said. "Someone's gotta stay with Tia and Michelle."

"How about me?" Pepa asked.

Everyone eyed him and he shrugged.

"I didn't ask for this. I was just trying to fly you to safety," he said.

"Yes and it was because of your wonky ship that we're stuck in this mess," Paul said angrily. "Let Jane or someone else stay with the women. You're supposed to be a military man which would be useful to us. You kidnapped us in the first place."

"I did not, some of my humans did," Pepa said indignantly.

"Yeah? Well, instead of letting us go, you decided it'd be fun to experiment on the Doctor so you still put yourself in the middle of all this!"

"Shush!" Ringo said, putting a hand over his mouth.

Paul shut up while they listened to the sound of footsteps above them. Jane held Tia close to her while Bill held Michelle. All of them listened quietly while several people walked around above them. For one heart stopping moment they thought that they would open the hatch like the last time but eventually the voices grew faint and the footsteps stopped. They waited silently, listening intently. Finally, Jeremy decided to risk it. He went up the ladder with John Smith following behind him. He unlocked the bolt and slowly raised the hatch enough that he could peek out and see what was going on.

"See anything?" John Smith said to him softly.

"Not so far," Jeremy whispered back. "Stay here and guard them, I'll take a look around."

"Jeremy, love, be careful," Rose said softly.

Jeremy smiled tenderly at her and then slowly raised the hatch up and got out. He let it go back down slowly so it wouldn't make any noise and John Smith waited on the ladder while the others stood around it, nervously waiting for Jeremy to return. Finally, the hatch lifted and Jeremy came back down.

"Anything?" John Smith said.

"No, it's empty, the Doctor's gone," Jeremy said, shutting the hatch and locking it. "We're still in that menagerie though, whoever goes out there is gonna have to brave the animals to find the exit. Any takers?"

He looked down when Tia came up and poked his leg again.

"You like my leg, dontcha?" he said while everyone laughed. "You volunteering, eh? You wanna go out there with the animals and fight them?"

He picked her up and smiled when Tia giggled at that.

"Nah, we better not," he said, walking over to Jane and Paul. "Your mummy and daddy might be upset if you went out there and fought monsters. You're too young, my little teddy bear! You stay here and keep nice and warm while we do the fighting."

He tried to hand her to Jane but Tia let out a "No!" and clung tighter to him.

"Oh," Jeremy said, straightening up while Tia held on to him. "Um…apparently she's grown quite comfortable here."

Paul chuckled. He walked around behind him and leaned his face into hers.

"Hi, don't you love me and mummy anymore? You wanna be with him?" he said to her.

"Daddy!" Tia said, reaching for him.

"Aha, now ya got it!" Paul said, walking around Jeremy.

Tia followed him, turning her head when he got behind her. He tried to take her but Tia let out another no and clung to Jeremy.

"Drat!" Paul said while everyone laughed. "Sorry, mate, she's comfortable there."

"Why don't you stay here then and look after her and Michelle?" John Smith said. "Since she's so fond of you. Be easier than trying to get her to separate from you."

"I can do that," Jeremy said while Tia laid her head on his shoulder. "But the problem is how are you gonna know which way to look for this door and what are you gonna do if it's locked? Sadly, I don't have a sonic screwdriver."

"I don't either," John Smith said. "The Doctor has his and I'm pretty sure he took it with him. Blast! Ah well, we'll have to improvise, I s'pose. Okay, so who's staying here then?"

"Bill, are you leaving me?" Michelle said, taking his arm.

Bill thought for a moment and then looked at the others.

"D'ya mind if I stay behind then since Michelle wants me to? I can help Jeremy look after Tia," he said.

"Yes, but…" Paul said, walking over to him, "you have an assignment while we're gone."

"And that assignment is…" Bill said.

"You must find a guitar and learn Twist and Shout by the time we get back. I want it played straight through with no mistakes."

"Nope, sorry, Rex. Not doing that right now," Bill said.

"Damn," Paul said while everyone laughed.

He looked at the Beatles.

"What about you lot? Any of you feel like stayin'?" he asked them.

John, George and Ringo glanced at each other. John led them to the back and they got in a huddle while everyone waited. They conferred for a moment and then they walked back to the others.

"Before we answer, I just have to say this," John said. "At first I thought you were daft for doing this, Paul. Running around riskin' your life for no good reason but…in a way it's no different than risking our lives when we played the Reeperbahn in Hamburg and all the tough clubs where one wrong move meant the teds would kick our arses. We braved that and survived…"

John paused for a moment and swallowed hard, fighting his emotions.

"And our Paul was brave when he made the decision to run for his life that night and even though it cost him his life, I'm glad he did that instead of waiting around for them to execute him," he said while Paul put a hand on his shoulder. "Both you and he were brave beyond belief and it would be wrong of me not to do the same and put my neck on the line, especially since I agreed to do this in the first place. Besides, you know I gotta do ya one better, Paul. Can't have ya being the hero of the hour and upstage me."

Paul chuckled and nodded.

"So…the three of us have decided to be completely barmy and follow you lot outside the safety of this ship and brave whatever lies ahead. But…"

He grinned and wagged his finger at Paul.

"We die, we're haunting you, McCartney!" he said.

"Understood," Paul said while John gave him a light slap on the cheek. "And now I want to make a request. Jane," he said, turning to his wife, "I want you to stay here. On the off chance, I don't make it back; I want Tia to have at least one parent. So could you do that for me?"

Jane nodded and hugged him.

"Not that I'm looking to get killed but better safe than sorry, love," Paul said. "Besides, Tia might get tired of Jeremy and want her mum."

Jane kissed his cheek and he kissed hers in return.

"Anyone else?" John Smith said, looking around.

Everyone else remained silent and Jane gave Paul one last hug and kiss before he walked over to Tia. He smiled and gave her a kiss on the lips while Tia rested on Jeremy's shoulder.

"You be good, don't irritate Uncle Jeremy, eh?" he said to her. "I don't want to have to come back here through all the monsters to give you a smack bottom, young lady."

"Daddy…" Tia said, holding out her hand to him.

Paul's heart melted. He took the hand and kissed the back of it and kissed up her arm to her cheek where he gave her a great big smooth while she giggled. He gave Bill a brief hug and then forced himself to turn away from his family so he could go stand with the others. Both groups wished each other good luck and said goodbye before John Smith went up the ladder and opened the hatch. Everyone who was going out went up the ladder and shut the hatch behind them when they were all out. They headed up to the front and on the way; John Smith stopped everyone and pointed to a dark corner of the ship. He walked over and grinned when he showed them the Doctor's sonic screwdriver and several perception filters and communicators with a hastily scribbled note. Jeremy read them the note.

Figured you lot would try to find and rescue me so I've given you a few advantages over our captors. Be careful and good luck.

Jeremy passed out the filters and they headed back to the hatch. They went back down and gave each of the adults a communicator. Amy explained how they worked as they put them behind their ears. Once that was done, Jane gave Paul another kiss and he and the others put the filters around their necks as they climbed up the ladder and headed for the side hatch.


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter Twenty Nine

The ramp slowly descended to the ground while the rescuers stood in front of the open hatch and looked out. They could see a few little animals scurrying around their ship and in the distance was a large creature that resembled a sky-blue brontosaurus. Rory grimaced when he saw that.

"Okay, let's not go over there and get stepped on," he said, pointing to it.

"Silly boy, haven't you seen Jurassic Park, they're just like big cows," Amy said, giving him a playful punch in the arm.

"Well, you can deal with Bessie the overgrown cow then, I'm staying away from it," John said to her.

When the ramp stopped they came down it cautiously and looked around.

"Now…" George said when they reached bottom and Pepa went to raise it, "you're saying that even if they have CCTV in here, they won't be able to see us because of these keys around our neck?"

"They'll see you but they'll ignore you because you're just enough out of their perception that you're like a ghost to them," John Smith replied.

"So…all they really saw is the ramp coming down and going back up," Ringo said, "won't that still alert them that something's up?"

"If it does, I just locked the ramp from the outside," Pepa said, closing a small metal door beside the hatch, "our friends can get out if they need to but unless they know where the control panel is, they can't get in. I figure that'll make everyone in there more secure and buy them time if they do have a way to get inside."

"But what happens if we do need to go outside?" Bill asked him through the communicator, "where's the control panel?"

"To the left of the hatch, there's a little metal door with a pull ring, open that and push the black button at the bottom, that'll override the security lock and let you out."

"Got it!" Bill said. "Good luck everyone."

"Thanks! Remember, Twist and Shout when I get back."

"Piss off, Paul," Bill said while everyone laughed.

They gasped when another of the antelope zebras galloped past them. The animal was shaped like an antelope with antelope horns but zebra coloring and stripes. They watched for a moment while it galloped about twenty feet from them and stopped to munch on some grass.

"Looks like we'll have to keep alert before something runs us down," George said as they walked off towards their left.

"I wouldn't worry about that as much as I would worry about being poisoned," Ringo said. "Is there anything in here that's poisonous that we should know about?"

"Or that vacuum sucky thing, is that in here?" George added.

"Do you know what any of these things are?" Rose asked John Smith who was trying to find the door with the screwdriver.

He glanced up from taking a reading and looked around at the animals.

"A few of them I recognize. The ones I do recognize aren't poisonous, Ringo, but there are many others I have no clue what they are so that doesn't help much. Best to just keep alert to your surroundings."

"Says the man looking at his thing-a-ma-bob," Paul said while they laughed.

"I'm looking at my thing-a-ma-bob trying to see if I can pinpoint the door so you'll just have to look for me," John Smith said with a smile.

"That thing can tell you where doors are?" John said to him.

"No but it can detect things like radiation or things like changes in air temperature which would indicate a draft so I'm hoping I can find the door that way," John Smith replied. "Other than that, I s'pose we'll have to search around till we find the door."

"Can I offer a suggestion?" Bill said to them.

"Sure, go ahead," John Smith.

"If you lot are undetectable, can't you draw attention to yourself by making a noise and then watching to see if you can see a door opening?" he said. "If you stay still, they won't see you when they come in, right?"

"Yes, but they might automatically go to the ship thinking the disturbance came from there," John Smith said to him. "Do you lot wanna risk that?"

"If it means you find the door quickly and not get eaten, yes, I'll risk it," Jane said.

"Perhaps I can help and save you the trouble of creating a disturbance."

Everyone froze and their faces broke out into grins when they heard the Doctor in their ears.

"Are you okay?" Amy said.

"So far, just strapped to a metal table for the 50,000th time. When I left you those items, I took the liberty of putting a communicator behind my ear so I can keep in contact with you. My captors have just now left the room so I can speak with you for the moment. Fortunately they didn't blindfold or put a hood on my head when they led me off so I can guide you. Go to your left in a diagonal direction and you should see a small metal keypad on the wall by the door. The combination is 44261 and once you input that, the door will slide open. After that, turn to the right and there's a corridor. Go to the end of it, turn left and I'm in the fifth door on the right side."

"Got it, thanks," John Smith said as he put the screwdriver back in his pocket.

"One other thing, I asked who these people were when they took me and they won't say. I can't figure out what species they are because the ones I've seen so far are wearing long black robes, black gloves and a black hood over their faces with these goggle like eyeholes that resemble something on a gas mask. They've been silent so far, just brought me in here and strapped me down. So I can't help you suss out who they are and what they want, at least not yet. I…bugger, they're coming back in, chat with you later."

The group moved slowly in a diagonal direction towards the wall while lizards scurried out of their way and birds and pterodactyls flew over their heads. John looked up at one pterodactyl and muttered under his breath about how he hoped he didn't end up like the pink cat. Paul, who was walking beside him, chuckled.

"Come on, John, you're a big, bad ted! Don't let that buzzard scare you!" he teased.

"Paul, that "buzzard" as you put it is bigger than me and it could probably swallow me whole. I'll be the big, bad ted when I'm facing bloody humans not that thing," he said to him.

Paul glanced over at Rose who was walking beside him.

"So…what is it about me that you like so much?" he teased while John snickered, "is it my puppy dog eyes, my winning smile, my charming voice? My teeny tiny size that is convenient for your pocket?"

"Geez," Jane said as everyone laughed.

"Um, I'll go with the teeny tiny size," Rose said, scratching her chin thoughtfully.

"Don't say that, love, he might actually try to get in your pocket," John said.

"I'd like to see that," George said, "Paul's huge head sticking out of her pocket with this soppy look on his face."

"Or singing Yesterday to her," Ringo added.

"Or My Arse Fell off a Moped," Amy chimed in.

The Beatles laughed when Paul tried to grab for her.

"Oho, so you did that as well, did ya?" John said gleefully. "What was your excuse for it? Moon gazing?"

The Beatles laughed and poked one another when he turned bright red.

"He was gazing at some bird and we all know it," George said.

"Course he was, this man has an eye for the ladies. So be mindful of him, Rose, because he really will be in your pocket in a trice," John said, wagging his finger at her.

Paul raised his eyebrow when Amy started warbling Do Ya Think I'm Sexy while she moved her hips and put her arm around Rory.

"That's gear, who sings that?" Paul said.

"Rod Stewart," Amy said to him.

"Is that on my IPod?" Paul said.

"How the hell should I know? I don't know what's on your IPod," Amy replied before she continued singing the song to Rory.

Paul listened for a moment and then parroted the lyrics to Rose. The other Beatles laughed when she turned beet red.

"You know, my fiancée is listening to ya, right?" Rose said to him.

"So's my wife, what's your point?" Paul said, waggling his eyebrows.

"Jeremy, I think it was a mistake staying behind," they heard Jane say.

"I'm beginning to think that as well," Jeremy replied dryly.

"Nah, just having a laugh while we're walking through a bunch of weird animals," Paul said to them. "She said I'm her favorite, might as well find out why while I'm waiting to be gobbled up."

All of them suddenly froze while they listened to the Doctor. They heard someone asking him why he had landed in their menagerie and how he got there. The Doctor replied airily that he brought a new spaceship and was flying through space when he saw a big red button on his console that must never ever be pressed. He pressed the button and hey presto he was in their menagerie. Everyone snickered at that but the laughter quickly ceased when they heard the Doctor grunt and the sound of fist hitting flesh.

"I will not tolerate flippant answers," someone was saying to him, "you will answer truthfully or you will suffer agonizing pain."

"Okay, on that note, I think we better find the door now," Amy said as she and everyone else quickened their pace.

They tried to run but were stopped when a buffalo with hair down to its feet suddenly mooed and ran past them.

"Argh, bloody animals!" John Smith said as they resumed their run.

"Once again, who are you and what are you doing here?" they heard the man asking the Doctor.

They were going so fast, they nearly ran into the black wall and all of them gasped as they stopped short. They looked at it and looked around for a keypad as they began to walk sideways, trying as quickly as they could to locate it. While they were looking, they suddenly heard the Doctor let out an agonizing scream and several of them cursed.

"Where is the bloody thing?" John said as he and the others ran their hands over the wall while they walked, "he said go to the left and go diagonally."

"Mates!" Rose suddenly said, "Get away from the wall now!"

They looked where she was pointing and gasped when they saw a humongous black spider perched on the wall above them. It began to come down the wall towards them while everyone backed up. They tried to look over their shoulders to watch for other animals while the spider which was as big as a Volkswagen Beetle stepped onto the ground and headed towards them. John Smith fumbled in his pocket for his screwdriver while they kept backing up. Finally, he was able to pull it out and quickly adjusted it. He aimed it at the creature and when he turned it on; the creature writhed in agony and began to scuttle away from him. John Smith kept the screwdriver pointed at him while he walked towards the creature who was now backing away, trying to get away from the sonic disturbance. While he was doing that, the others winced when they heard the Doctor being punched and his grunts when the fist connected with his body.

"Keep looking," John Smith said over his shoulder, "I'll hold this thing at bay!"

He continued to back the tarantula away from the others while they cautiously resumed their search. Finally after a couple of minutes, Ringo yelled out that he had found it.

"44261, Ringo!" John Smith said as he kept the screwdriver pointed at the spider and backed up towards them.

Ringo pushed the number keys and stepped back when the door slid open. At the last moment, he turned and ran; barreling through the door after the others had gone through. It slid shut and they looked around before they ran off to the right. They picked up the pace when they heard the Doctor screaming in pain while someone was screaming at him to tell him the truth. They reached the end of the corridor, turned left and froze when they saw the beings the Doctor was describing, standing outside the fifth door, presumably listening and waiting for the torture to end. All six of them jerked their heads around and stared at them with the unnerving goggle eyes.

"There are more of them!" one of them yelled before John Smith urged the others to fight them.

Both parties ran towards each other while John Smith's group heard the man let up the assault on the Doctor and his screams stilled. Both groups collided with each other and began to fight one another while the fifth door open and the torturer looked outside the door. John noticed Paul wriggle out of the fight and head for the lone being at the door. He grinned as he followed him.

"Not without me, mate!" he yelled to him.

Both of them laughed when the being turned around and ran for his life. While they chased him, John Smith got past the fighters. By now, there was only two left and he let his friends handle them while he ran into the room. The Doctor raised his head when he entered. His right eye was swollen shut and he had bruises on his cheeks and blood coming out of a split in his lip.

"Seen better days?" John Smith said as he used the screwdriver to unlock the metal restraints.

"Definitely," the Doctor replied as John Smith unlocked his wrists and he helped get himself free.

By now, he could see the others running past the door in order to help Paul and John. The Doctor threw off the last of the restraints and he and John Smith ran out of the room after them.


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter Thirty

By the time the others caught up to Paul and John, they had the being cornered. Paul glanced back at them and held up his hand.

"No, stop!" he said to them. "I don't think he's a threat."

"He tortured the Doctor," Rory said.

"Yes, but I think it's a misunderstanding," John said.

"Yes, please, I'm sorry. Let me explain," the being said to them. "They're right, I misjudged you all."

Rose looked over her shoulder and gasped when she saw the bruised and battered Doctor walking towards her with John Smith at his side.

"You just hurt him and now you're saying it's all a misunderstanding?" she said angrily as she pointed back to the Doctor.

"I thought he was an intruder, there are ways we deal with intruders," the being said.

"Yeah, I see that," Rose spat at him, "You deal with him good and proper and…"

"Rose, calm down, I'm alright," the Doctor said, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Go ahead and explain yourself."

The being looked around at the group and when he was sure no one was going to attack him, he pulled the hood off his head. Everyone gasped when they saw his face. It resembled Freddy Krueger's face with numerous burns and scarring.

"I am Ja'thed," he said to them. "My people and I are from the planet Ouris. Our planet was devastated in a nuclear war and I and the survivors fled and found this planet. We christened it New Ouris in honor of our home world and set about trying to rebuild our civilization. Those animals you saw are native to our planet. We are keeping them in captivity until we can terraform the planet and make it livable for them and for us. Unfortunately, some of the species are endangered and we've had poachers infiltrating the enclosure and trying to hunt some of them down for profit. We assumed that your friend was a poacher. So are you?"

"No," the Doctor said. "If you had taken the trouble to identify yourself, I would have told you the truth. We are travelers trying to get back to this man's home world," he said, gesturing towards Pepa, "Our ship is acting wonky and we tried a dimensional jump and ended up inside your enclosure. We don't mean your animals any harm. However, I must point out that if you're trying to protect these animals, you aren't doing a very good job because I saw one of them eat another one."

"Yes, we're aware of that. We had force fields separating them but our equipment is old and we had a power loss that we're trying to fix. We were in the process of fixing it when our scanners detected your ship. I'm sorry I overreacted but you're not the first person to intrude inside the enclosure and we're growing weary of the poachers. I will give you medicine for your wounds and offer all of you food and beds for the night. As a peaceful gesture, you're welcome to stay as long as you need to in order to repair your ship."

"Thank you. We have a few more on the ship that are in hiding. We need to go back and get them," the Doctor said.

"I'll get a few of my friends to escort you to your ship. We can put a movable force field around you so you'll have a safe journey back."

"Thank you," the Doctor said.

"Please accept my apology," Ja'thed said, putting the hood back over his head. "I want us all to be friends and have a peaceful relationship."

Everyone murmured their agreement and Ja'thed nodded.

"Come then, my friends, I'll find some people to escort you to your ship and heal your friend's wounds," he said to them.

After they got everyone else off the ship, Ja'thed set up a force field around the ship and constructed a narrow walkway that led from the hatch of the ship to the doorway so they could walk to and from the ship in safety. Ja'thed and the others prepared them a banquet after healing the Doctor and told them that they had a machine that was able to duplicate objects from all over the universe.

"We brought it from a bazaar on Chelthroup," Ja'thed said to them as they ate their meal, "we thought it would help to duplicate many of the things that we left being on Ouris, things that were too contaminated to bring with us. It has a search function so I think I can duplicate almost anything."

Paul leaned over and whispered something in John's ear. John grinned, chuckled and nodded.

"Have a go, Paulie," he said to him. "I definitely wouldn't mind."

"We're wondering if this thing might be able to duplicate musical instruments," Paul said to Ja'thed.

"Oh boy, here we go, My Fair Lady," Bill said to Rose who was sitting beside him.

"No, I was thinking of me and the lads but now that you've opened your big gob…" Paul said as everyone laughed. "Yes, a guitar for him as well then. But…seriously, we're a band and we thought if you could duplicate our instruments, we could give you a bit of a musical concert in return for your hospitality."

Ringo and George looked at each other and grinned when they heard that.

"Yeah, that would be fab, a musical concert with alternate Paul," George said.

"I can try to duplicate what it is you require," Ja'thed said, "I can't guarantee the machine will know what these musical instruments are but I will certainly accomidate you."

"Get ready, Audrey, you're gonna get a guitar lesson," Paul said.

"Wheee…" Bill said while everyone laughed.

After eating, Ja'thed led them to the machine. The Beatles named off the make and models of the instruments and equipment and amps they needed and to their delight, the machine reproduced them. Paul smiled when he grabbed the Hofner bass as it came out of a conveyer belt on the side of the machine.

"Yes, my little baby, I have you back!" he said, kissing the neck of his bass.

He looked over at the Beatles who had amused looks on their faces. John looked at George and Ringo.

"Not only will he boink women, he'll boink his bass as well," he said while they laughed.

"Hmmph," Paul said, sticking his nose in the air while he held the bass protectively to his chest. He and the others carried the equipment and Bill carried his acoustic guitar while Ja'thed led them to a large auditorium. Once they were inside, the Beatles set up everything while Ja'thed left. There were metal benches all around the metal auditorium and everyone went and sat down while the Beatles fussed with their equipment.

"This is a dream come true," John said to Paul while they plugged their instruments into the amps, "never thought I'd play music with you again, mate."

"Well, happy to oblige," Paul said, giving him a hug when John got teary eyed.

"Do you know Sergeant Pepper?" John said, pulling away.

"Sure do, just finished recording it. Why? Wanna play some songs from it?"

"I thought we could try to open with Sergeant Pepper in honor of our friend and then proceed from there," John said.

"A splendid idea," Paul replied.

He and the other three Beatles got in a huddle, discussing the songs they wanted to perform while the others waited. While they were waiting, the door open and Ja'thed entered with his people. To their surprise, the auditorium began to fill up with hooded, masked people and by the time the Beatles finished their meeting, all four sides were filled and there were some left over standing near the benches.

"Wow, a proper audience," George said as he got his guitar ready.

"Right, lads, let's give these people a show then!" John said to his band mates as he adjusted the wireless microphone. "Right, we're the Beatles," he said to the audience. "We're from Earth and we're going to play some songs for you in gratitude for your hospitality and as a peace offering. Hopefully we can all get over the huge misunderstanding. For our first number, we'd like to dedicate this to our friend, Pepa. Right, lads, 1…2…3!"

They began to play Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band to the delight of their friends and family who began to clap and sing along with them. Ja'thed and his people began to rock back and forth while they played. They went from that into A Little Help From My Friends and Ringo sang while he drummed. After they were done with those two songs, they bowed as everyone applauded. John grinned at Paul when they came back up.

"Damn, this feels good. I miss touring and playing before live audiences," he said to him.

"Yeah, I do too," Paul said. "Feels great to have an audience and hear the applause."

He went up to his microphone.

"For our next song, we'd like to go back to the very beginning of our days as a group and because I want Audrey to hear this because he's gonna play it tonight!" he added as Bill flipped him off and everyone laughed.

They launched into Twist and Shout and everyone laughed when Tia jumped up and ran to her father. Paul smiled and began to dance around and he grinned when his daughter imitated him. Once they were done and everyone was applauding, he bent over and kissed her lips. He put his bass down on the ground and let Tia look at it for a moment before he took her hand and guided her towards the microphone with him. He held out his hand and took the acoustic guitar from John who snickered, knowing what he had planned.

"Okay, for our next song," Paul said, "I wanna play this for my number one fan."

He let go of Tia's hand and she ran laughing with him as he ran over and got in front of Rose. Everyone laughed as he put the guitar strap around him and bent over into her face.

"For you, ma amour," he said while Rose turned beet red.

He played Till There Was You while the Doctor took Tia's hand and guided her over to him before he sat back down. Everyone laughed when Paul leaned his head over and fluttered his eyelashes while Rose tried to give him a stern look. She looked at her fiancé who was sitting right beside her and eyed him when she saw he was giggling uncontrollably. Then she let out a grunt when Paul spun around, plopped down on her lap and continued to sing the song while he played.

"There were biiirds on a hill but I never heard them singing," he sang as Rose tried to push him off her lap, "no I never heard them aaaall, till there was Rose, my number one faaan!"

Everyone howled with laughter when Rose smacked his back and tried to push him off. Paul stood up and finished the song then quickly launched into Yesterday while he walked over to Amy. She raised her eyebrow when he sang the song to her.

"Remember this song, Kitten?" he said in the middle of it, "Twas the song I entertained you with while the rest of the gits were taking the tour."

"Yes, I know," Amy said as Paul continued singing.

He finished the song and sat down on Amy's lap while Rory laughed. He sang Eleanor Rigby while he leaned back into her.

"Get off me, you git!" Amy yelled while the others laughed.

He finished the song and walked back to the Beatles while everyone applauded.

"Now, for our next song…" John began.

"Helter Skelter! Sing Helter Skelter!" the Doctor yelled.

They laughed when all the Beatles except Paul got blank looks on their faces.

"I'm sorry, I haven't done enough time traveling to learn what that song's lyrics are," John said to the Doctor. "So I'm afraid we can't grant your request concerning the song that's apparently about a funfair ride."

"Back in the USSR then!" Jeremy yelled.

Paul laughed when John gave him a dirty look.

"No, sing Mean Mister Mustard!" John Smith yelled as Paul laughed hysterically.

"Sing Silly Love Songs!" Amy yelled.

"Sing Bad Romance!" Bill added.

Paul laughed and pointed to him. He walked up to the microphone.

"Rah rah ah ah ah, mo ma, mo mama, Gaga ooo la la, want your bad romance!" he sang while everyone cheered.

"What the hell is that song?" John said to him.

"Bad Romance by Lady Gaga, remind me to play you her song and show you the video. She's fab," Paul said to him while everyone cheered.

They continued their music concert while everyone sang along and Tia danced in front of Jane.

After they finished the concert, Ja'thed showed them to their guest rooms while Pepa, the Doctor, Jeremy and John Smith went back to the ship to do repairs. The rooms were made of metal with a sleeping platform that had a soft mattress, pillow and white blanket, a metal table and nightstand and a dresser with a full length mirror along the back wall. Everyone helped to carry the equipment into the room and Paul got settled into his with Jane and Tia.

"I think the bed's big enough for all of us," he said as he pushed on the mattress with his hand. "And it's nice and comfy, good."

He looked over his shoulder when Bill and Michelle appeared at the door. Bill had his acoustic guitar in hand.

"I'm here for the lesson," Bill said.

Paul beamed. He grabbed his guitar and Jane and Michelle sat on the bed while Paul and Bill sat on the floor nearby with their guitars in their laps. Tia took her doll over and sat down beside her father, playing with it while she listened to her father demonstrate some basic chords to Bill. While he instructed his brother, everyone else came into the room and watched them silently. They laughed when Tia finally put down her doll and plucked one of the strings on her father's guitar.

"Oi!" Paul said while Tia giggled and her father poked her side, "you quit that, my little princess. I'm in the middle of teaching your uncle here."

The other Beatles walked over and sat down beside him while he showed Bill another chord.

"Did you teach your John how to play properly?" John asked when he finished telling Bill about the new chord and listened to him playing it back to him.

"Yes, I helped the poor bastard," Paul replied. "Especially since his mum only taught him banjo chords."

"Well, mum only knew how to play the banjo so I could only learn what she knew," John said while the others sat down near them. "You however, you could do things I could never do with the guitar, you and Georgie here."

"Well, I think that's why we were meant to come together," Paul said while he listened to Bill strum a few chords. "We complimented each other."

"Meanwhile, I was the git behind the drums," Ringo said while everyone laughed.

"Nah, you were the final missing ingredient. That's why I'm glad we managed to get you away from Rory Storm," Paul said. "Rory was alright, but you needed to be with us."

John smiled while he watched Bill strum another chord.

"I know I keep saying it but I'm glad he's nothing like our Bill. Our Bill was basically a tyrant, forced on us and he knew that we had to accept him so he had a sense of entitlement. And we had to do everything his way, no compromises. It went from being the fab four to Dictator William overnight. Sergeant Pepper is a good album but it would have been better if we had some input rather than William ordering us about like slaves. And then…he wanted to do this naff project about taking a motor coach around the countryside with a bunch of freaks."

John shut up when Paul giggled at that.

"You know about that?" he asked Paul.

"Yes, I had the pleasure of watching the film on board the TARDIS one night. Naff doesn't even begin to describe it," he said while Amy, Rory, Jane and Bill laughed. "Believe me; you do not want to do this Magical Mystery Tour film. Or…maybe you do, for a giggle. Just don't be surprised when you show it on the telly and people don't watch it."

"It's odd, you know all these things about our future," George said.

"I know many things about the future," Paul said as he demonstrated another chord to Bill, "which is why I like doing this time traveling thing. I get to see what comes next."

"Yeah, that's why I wanted to come back," Rose said. "It's definitely an addiction."

"Too right it is," Amy replied. "I could do this forever."

"But you caaaan't," Paul warbled to her while he strummed his guitar, "becaaause eventually you'll turn old and grey and maaaanky and diiiiie.'

"Soooo wiiiill yoooooou!" Amy warbled back while they laughed.

"Nah, I'm gonna live forever. I'll just ask Pepa to make me immortal!"

"Um…I wouldn't do that. I know someone who's immortal and he can still die. He dies and comes back to life repeatedly," Rose said.

"Really? Who is this bloke?" Paul asked.

Rose told them about Jack while Paul continued to instruct Bill. He continued with the guitar lesson for a couple of hours and when he was satisfied his brother had mastered the chords he taught him, they set their guitars aside and spent the rest of the night chatting with everyone else in the room.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter Thirty One

Finally everyone retired to their bedrooms except for the Doctor who continued to work on the ship. Rose lay with Jeremy in their bed, facing one another while Jeremy stroked her cheek.

"I missed this, feels good to be back," Rose murmured while she stared into her lover's eyes.

"So did I. We needed this. We needed to be out here traveling and seeing the universe, not stuck in ruddy Torchwood," he said. "You've gotten back the spark of life in your eyes that was lost when he left us."

"So have you," Rose murmured. "You were just as upset as I was."

"Yes, but I was even more upset that he denied you the chance to be back in the TARDIS with him. You weren't meant to be my jailer, you were meant to travel time and space."

"But with you at my side, no one else," Rose said.

"Awww…"

"And I mean no one else, McCartney," Rose yelled as Paul came into the room.

"What? I just came in here to wish my biscuit boo bedtime happy dreams," Paul said.

Rose eyed him and glared at the Beatles as they stood at the door giggling.

"Let me guess, they put you up to this," Rose said, pointing to the Beatles.

"No, actually I said, I must go wish my number one fan goodnight and they said go for it! So I did and here I am, my cuddly teddy bear," Paul said, leaning over and making a kissy face.

"Okay, I thought you were cute but now you've morphed into creepy," Rose said as everyone laughed. "You've become a very creepy man and you can leave now."

Paul chuckled and gave her a tiny peck on the cheek.

"Just a friendly kiss," he said, "nothing more. I like taking the mickey out of people I care about, ask Amy."

They laughed when he grabbed the blanket and pulled it up over her head.

"There, bunny bookums, you're tucked in now!" he said.

"Get out of here, weirdo!" Rose said, snatching the blanket away from her face.

"So…are you going to have a commitment ceremony then?" Paul said, pointing to Jeremy.

"Why? So you can run up to us in the middle of it and call me biscuit boo?" Rose said while the Beatles chortled.

"No, because I've had mine and you should have yours," Paul said with a shrug.

"I'll think about it, now will you and the zoo leave us alone?" Rose said, pointing to the Beatles.

"Oh, if I must," Paul said with a melodramatic sigh. "Good night, Jeremy, good night, Rose."

"Good night," they said in unison.

Paul waved and walked out the door.

"GOOD NIIII-YIGHT!" the Beatles said in unison.

"Come on, lads, biscuit boo needs to do adult things with her fiancé. Let us go grab Amy and do a flush-a-roo in the loo," Paul said to them.

Jeremy laughed when the four of them let out a gleeful cackle and ran down the hallway.

"I pity Amy now," Rose said to Jeremy. "I thought he was supposed to be a sweet guy, but he's a horny little pest in real life. I should have never let anyone know he was my favorite. I'll never hear the end of it now."

Jeremy pulled her close and kissed her lips.

"I'll give him a stern talking to then and see if I can get him to quit acting so creepy," he said to her.

"See that you do!"

"Yes, Ma'am," Jeremy said.

Rose sighed and snuggled into his embrace while he kissed her cheek and whispered his love for her. She fell asleep in his arms. Several hours later, she felt the urge to pee and woke up wondering where the bathroom was. She slowly pulled away from Jeremy careful not to wake him and then turned to get up. She noticed then that someone was quickly backing away from the door. She walked outside and froze when she saw the Doctor standing there with a guilty look in his eyes.

"Sorry, couldn't help myself," he said to her. "I was walking by and stopped a moment to check on you and I found myself just remembering and I s'pose I lost track of time. Goodnight, Rose."

"Wait," Rose said when he tried to hurry past her.

She took his hand for a moment and then gave him a hug.

"I missed you, Rose," the Doctor whispered. "I will honor your engagement but that it's still hard to avoid the temptation of being around you. I think that's one of the reasons why I put you back in your universe, I was afraid of losing control around you, still am.'

Rose pulled back and touched his upper arm.

"I will always love you but I won't go breaking Jeremy's heart," she said to him.

"And once again, I'm telling you that I have no intention of you doing that. I told you that it wouldn't work out between us. I care for you deeply, Rose, and a part of me will always love you but we can only be friends."

He chuckled softly.

"And here I am, staring at you while you sleep and contradicting myself," he said. "But I never would have done more than stare. I like Jeremy, he's a good man and I feel the same way about breaking his heart. It's not fair for me to rip you away from him after I put you together, that would make me worse than some of the villains I fight."

"You know, when you said that you thought you were gonna die for good when Rassilon was about to kill ya. My heart stopped just like it stopped the day the Dalek shot ya. You've been such a part of my life that it's hard to imagine you truly dead. It was a shock just knowin' you'd regenerated again but I'm used to this body now the way I got used to your tenth body."

"I feel that way whenever I see you in danger and I think about the possibility of you dying and leaving for the afterlife or whatever is out there, if there is anything out there. You've made such a huge impact on my life, Rose. I've had so many companions come and go but none of them affected me as deeply as you did. I tried to move on and not think about you but I just couldn't and it drove me half insane because I couldn't understand why. But it's because you became something more than just a mere companion. We were lovers once, you and I, and I will treasure that but now we have become dear friends and I will treasure that just as much. And I'm still here, if you need my help or someone to chat with or a shoulder to cry on, I'm here."

"And I'm here as well."

The Doctor smiled at that and gave her a firm hug while he kissed her cheek.

"Now…um…sorry, I didn't mean to wake you. I s'pose you felt me staring at you?"

"No, actually, I was on my way to the loo…wherever it is," Rose said, looking around.

"Um…think it's down this way actually," the Doctor said, pointing off to his right.

Rose thanked him. She kissed his cheek and the Doctor smiled when she hurried past him so she could find it. He started to walk past the door and glanced in and noticed Jeremy was awake. He walked in.

"You heard?" he asked Jeremy.

He nodded.

"I meant what I said. She is yours. It's just…"

"I know. I can understand. I feel the same longing when I'm not with her. I am you, you know," he said.

"I just want us to be friends as well."

"I want the same," Jeremy replied.

"Good. I'm glad the two of you are back and we have a chance to make amends."

Jeremy nodded.

"Good night, mate," the Doctor said.

"Wait…um…Paul keeps rabbiting on about doing a commitment ceremony like he and Jane did," Jeremy said to him.

"Oh, did you want to do that?" the Doctor asked.

"Perhaps. I'll have to talk it over with her but I wouldn't mind it."

The Doctor nodded and told Jeremy to let him know if he made a decision. Jeremy nodded and the Doctor wished him goodnight as he turned and walked out of the room. Jeremy watched him go and let out a contented sigh before he pulled the blanket up over his shoulders and waited for Rose to come back.


	32. Chapter 32

Chapter Thirty Two

The Doctor spent the rest of the night repairing the ship's circuits and by the morning, he finally felt that he had fixed it enough that they would have no trouble repairing it. He stood up, stretched, yawned and headed towards the ramp. On the way there, he saw Jane coming into the ship with Tia at her side. He smiled and opened his arms. He embraced them both.

"Good morning," he said, quickly checking his watch.

"You've been up all night?" Jane asked worriedly.

"Oh, I rarely sleep. My species can do without," the Doctor said.

"Heh, I envy you," she said. "Ja'thed has breakfast prepared for us so I came to get you."

"Thank you, I am hungry. I think I finally got the ship working. At least it won't go all wonky on us."

"Good, I'm glad," Jane said. "Um…Paul asked Ja'thed to make him a mobile and he was wondering if you could do that universal roaming thing so we can call our parents when we're able to?"

"Gladly, do you have it? You'll have to wait till we get back to our universe though."

Jane nodded. The Doctor tousled Tia's hair and smiled when she took his hand and he gave it a squeeze while Jane reached in her pocket for the new mobile. The Doctor used his screwdriver to give it universal roaming and handed it back to her.

"Thanks. We just want to call our families and make sure they're okay and tell them about Michelle and Tia when we get back to our universe," Jane said.

The Doctor walked with her through the force field corridor. He carried Tia in his arms and she rested her head on the Doctor's shoulder.

Meanwhile, Paul had finished getting ready for the day. His stomach growling, he headed towards the dining room while hoped that Ja'thed made them a decent breakfast. He was walking down the corridor when he heard a squeal and felt someone jump on his back.

"Good morning, biscuit boooo!" Rose squealed before she got off his back.

He turned and saw her giving him a wry look while Jeremy snickered. Jeremy laughed harder when he seized her cheeks and pinched them.

"Good morning, my number one fan!" he said, parroting her squeal while Rose backed away from his fingers. "You have fatty cheeks that are just right for pinching!"

He sniggered when Rose swatted his back. He put his hands in his pockets and walked with Rose and Jeremy towards the dining room.

"So…are you ready to go on our way and find more adventure, Cockney Blondie?" Paul asked her as they walked.

"I sure am, Scouser…Thing," Rose said while Jeremy laughed.

"Oooo, that wounded me deeply. I'll never get over you calling me Scouser Thing," he said clutching at the area over his heart. "I'll need years of therapy just to sort that one out."

"BOO!" Amy said, suddenly jumping out at him from around the corner when they neared the end of the corridor.

"Anyway…" Paul said, not missing a beat as they walked past her, "I'm looking forward to breakfast," he added while Jeremy and Rose laughed and glanced back at Amy who was flipping him off.

Amy and Rory joined their group and Paul feigned exasperation when Amy jogged to catch up to him.

"Ugh, two pests," he said, rolling his eyes.

"Speak for yourself, ya git," Amy said.

"Yeah, you're the one bothering us," Rose added.

"Mates," Paul said to Jeremy and Rory, "what do you see in these people? Are they using some kind of love spell to bind you to them?"

"I waited 2,000 years for Amy and after spending all that time outside the Pandorica, I figured I better date the girl."

"Rose was basically shoved in my face by a man who then ran away as fast as he could because he preferred gingers to blondes."

"You mentioned the ginger girl, Donna, right?" Paul said.

Jeremy nodded.

"And she's had her memories of you taken away?" Paul said.

"So the Doctor says. I figured that might happen. I knew that having a Time Lord mind in a human body would be disastrous."

"Wait a tic though," Paul said, stopping them. "Doesn't the other you have a Time Lord mind in a human body? I thought Pepa was able to fix him so he still had your knowledge but he was human like us."

"Yes, I think so…not entirely sure but I think he has his Time Lord mind," Jeremy said.

"And…we couldn't go get this Donna, bring her back to Pepa and see if he can fix it so she can have her mind and be human?" Paul said.

Jeremy and Rose shared a look. Jeremy rubbed the back of his head.

"I think we better talk to the Doctor about that one. He's the one that'll have to make the decision, although I'm sure he'd like to have Donna back. They were mates and all."

They walked into the dining room and saw everyone else there, eating eggs and some kind of meat that was shaped like a steak. Paul walked over and kissed Jane and Tia hello before he sat down next to them. Rose and Jeremy sat down beside the Doctor. While they were eating, Jeremy told the Doctor about Donna. The Doctor stopped in mid chew and swallowed while he thought it over.

"I suppose it can be done but we have to concentrate on one thing at a time. First we have to get back to Pepperland and then we can see if Pepa can take a look at Donna and see if she can be restored. The trick will be getting her to come along with us. She's extremely stubborn and she won't remember me and even if she does subconsciously, I've changed since then so we might have to send Jeremy in to retrieve her."

"What about the other bloke, the immortal one?" John said. "Kinda interested in meeting him as well."

"Yeah, he sounds like a nice bloke," Paul said.

"I wouldn't mind seeing him as well," Rose said, "I miss him."

While they were eating Ja'thed came over and asked if everything was satisfactory. Everyone nodded and the Doctor beckoned him over.

"Listen, if you don't mind I'd like to come back eventually. I have my own spaceship and I have a very well equipped med bay and I believe I have some medicine that will heal your radiation burns so you don't have to wear those masks," the Doctor said to him. "I don't have access to my ship now but if you'd like, I'll come back and give you the medicine as soon as I can."

"I and my people would be grateful, Doctor," Ja'thed said with a bow, "we are ashamed of the way we look. We know we look horrifying to others."

"Nah, nothing to be ashamed of," the Doctor said. "Not your fault. There's no need to hide your face from us."

After everyone was finished eating, they decided it was time to go. Ja'thed and his people helped them load their instruments into the ship and after everyone was inside the ship, Ja'thed stayed behind and stood on the ramp. He bowed to them.

"I'm so glad we have become friends, I wish you well in your journey," he said to them.

"Thank you, we'll come back as soon as we can with the medicine," the Doctor replied. "We'll make a note of the coordinates for this place and as soon as I can get my TARDIS on board this ship, I'll come back."

"Take your time, my friend. We've looked this way for ten years now, a little more time won't matter. All that concerns me is your safety."

Everyone bowed to him and he bowed in return before stepping off the ramp. Pepa lifted up the ramp and when it was up, he and the Doctor went up to the console while the others went back to the sleeping quarters to await the dimensional jump.


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter Thirty Three

"So, here we go," Paul said as they felt the ship rise up into the air.

All of them except the Doctor and Pepa were sitting down below in the sleeping quarters. Paul was sitting on a bed with Jane while Tia lay behind them, playing with her doll.

"Here's hopin' we get back to Pepperland this time," Rory said.

"Um…you sure you wanna go back to Pepperland? From what you lot have told us, it's under attack," John said to him. "I wouldn't be so eager to go back there."

"Might as well," Paul said.

"You're really eager to die, aren't ya?" John said to him.

"No, but those people we left behind are in danger, we have to go help them," Paul said.

John looked at George and Ringo.

"Remember the good old days when all Paulie thought about was food, girls, sex, his bass, girls, sex, fame, fortune, girls, sex…"

"Tee hee," Paul said dryly while the Beatles laughed.

They fell silent when the ship began to vibrate.

"Well, here goes," Bill said while he and Michelle sat together on a bed.

"Do or die! No one lives forever!" John yelled, raising his fist in the air. "We'll give those blighters what for!"

"Daddy?"

Paul looked at Tia.

"Huh?" he said.

"What's happening?" she said with a shaky voice while the ship vibrated.

"We're flying over a void, love, it'll stop in a moment," he said. "We're going back to Pepperland where we were before."

"Get back, get back, get back to where you once belong," Amy sang as she lay on a bed with Rory.

"Jo Jo was a man who thought he was a woman but he was another maaan," Rory sang.

"Paulie, is this another one of our future songs they're singing?" John asked Paul.

"Yup," Paul replied as he stared up at the ceiling.

"It's catchy, I like it," John replied.

The vibrations stopped and everyone looked at each other.

"Let me guess, we've made another wrong turn and ended up in the Sea of Shite or something like that," George said.

There was a soft bump as the ship landed. Everyone fell silent and listened for any sounds, for cursing from the Doctor or the sound of something jumping on the ship. A few minutes later, the Doctor appeared at the hatch.

"We're here, we made it back to Pepperland," he said to them.

"What about the Sea of Holes, Sea of Green?" Rory asked.

"Didn't need them. We had the Sea of Doctor," the Doctor said smugly.

"So are we under attack now?" Rose said.

"No, I believe the attack has stopped for the moment, come up and put on your perception filters and communicators. Um…except for one, we need one to look after our munchkin there."

"I'll do it," John Smith said.

"Good man, anyone else want to stay with them?" the Doctor said.

No one else said anything. They all looked at Michelle."

"Michelle, love, you sure you wanna come with us?" Bill said. "It might be dangerous."

"I helped hunt and kill the hairy beasts, I have no fear of whatever's out there," she said.

"She's got a point," Rory said, "she did help out on that mammoth hunt. I'm sure even Tia would be able to hold her own out there."

"Well, she'll just have to wait," Paul said. "I'm not letting a three or four year old fight the Diablons even if she did help hunt down mammoths. She'll just have to wait a few years."

All of them climbed the ladder and got out of the hatch. The Doctor and Pepa were waiting for them and all of them slipped the perception filters around their necks and put on their communicators before they headed towards the side hatch. Pepa lowered the ramp and when everyone was outside, he raised and locked it. They looked around and grimaced when they saw the devastation. Parts of the grass was black, burning or smoldering. Some of the trees had been blasted apart, a few of the statues were reduced to rubble, the pyramid was severely damaged and dead bodies of humans were strewn everywhere. They slowly walked away from the ship, keeping their eyes open for Diablons but none were to be seen. They walked over to one dead body, an elderly lady whose throat had been slit. She stared blankly up at the sky, her white skin coated with dried blood while more blood pooled under her.

"Who would do this?" Pepa said, shaking his head.

"People who want to control the primitive humans you're creating," the Doctor replied. "You may have tried to help these people but the Diablons are out to control them and they succeeded and that's why Paul and Amy nearly ended up dead in his time. That's why we have to find them and stop them, if they haven't scarpered already."

"I don't see anybody, maybe they took everyone," Rory said, looking around, when they stopped a moment.

"Perhaps, perhaps not…" the Doctor murmured.

They looked at him and noticed he was scrutinizing the pyramid.

"You think they might have taken the humans inside there?" Jeremy asked.

"Pepa, what's all in there?" the Doctor said, pointing to the pyramid.

"Laboratories, storage areas, a few offices, kitchen, lavatories…"

"The laboratories…is there equipment in there that could potentially brainwash someone?" the Doctor said.

"Hmmm, perhaps, I still don't know what all the labs have. I inherited this position from someone else, remember?"

"But there are places where you can keep people?" Paul said, "I know you had us locked in the lab before but I mean, other places where they could hold people prisoner?"

"They could put them in the storage rooms, I suppose," Pepa said. "There are a couple of glass and metal tubes that you could put people in. But no proper prison cells if that's what you're on about."

"You don't need a prison cell if you can lock someone in a room," the Doctor said. "My thought is some might have left but not all of them. I'm sure a few of them stayed behind to deal with some of the humans and explore this place. They'd be foolish to attack and leave as one. I have a feeling that we'll find humans and Diablons in that pyramid."

"Then come back inside," Pepa said, pointing to the ship. "We'll land on top of the pyramid and work our way down like we did before."

The Doctor nodded and everyone followed Pepa when he turned and walked back to the control panel by the hatch.


	34. Chapter 34

Chapter Thirty Four

Everyone waited by the hatch while Pepa landed the ship on top of the pyramid.

"You think they'll hear us?" Paul asked. "I mean, this is a big ship and surely they'll hear it land."

"Depends on how deep inside the pyramid they are," the Doctor said. "We had to climb a lot of stairs so there is a chance they may not hear it."

"But what about security measures, CCTV, guards?" Jeremy asked.

"I s'pose we'll have to deal with them when the time comes," the Doctor said.

"And this is your big plan, eh?" Pepa said.

"Yup, brilliant, isn't it?"

Pepa gave him an odd look while the Doctor's companions snickered. He shook his head and lowered the ramp. All of them stepped outside and looked around. From their vantage point, they could see farther than they could on the ground. In the distance, they could see something flying around, something that was shaped like…"

"There's the glove," the Doctor said, pointing to it. "My guess is it's a surveillance drone and it just happened to be shaped like the glove in the film. Yet another connection."

"Yeah and it just so happens we have our instruments with us now," John said. "Should we bring those along as well so we can sing to the inhabitants when the time comes?"

"Um…no, I think we'll leave them in the ship so we can move quickly," the Doctor said.

They went over to the door that led to the stairs. The Doctor quickly opened the door with the screwdriver and all of them went inside before the drone saw them. Pepa shut the door and all of them slowly went down the stairs. As they went down, they heard voices in the distance, men and women yelling and crying out in pain. The Doctor gritted his teeth as he felt the anger rising within him. Then halfway down, they noticed someone coming the other way, all of them pressed up against the wall as two medium sized Diablons came up the stairs.

"Why do we have to go and check," the Diablon in front was saying to his friend, "why can't they get a couple of lower rank people to check this ship out?"

"Because we always happen to be standing in the wrong place at the wrong time, that's why," the other one replied as they went past the Doctor and his companions, "we have to do all of the work and get none of the rewards for it."

"Pepa, do you have anything that could immobilize these two on board the ship?" the Doctor whispered to him.

"There are force fields that could trap them. We'd have to activate them from the console though," Pepa replied.

The Doctor beckoned to everyone and they all followed the Diablons up the stairs. They held back several steps and watched while they opened the door. Luckily, they left it standing wide open and everyone quietly followed them as the two Diablons walked up to the ship and stared at it.

"Isn't this the ship that was attacking us earlier?" one Diablon said as he rapped his knuckles on the hull.

"Yeah, I think so. Damn it, it's back. We better warn the others in case whoever was on it has slipped out and gone downstairs."

"I didn't see anyone on the way down," the Diablon said, "and according to Mex, it hasn't been that long since it landed."

The Diablons looked around them and slowly went around the ship, trying to find evidence of intruders. Paul bit his lip when one of the Diablons looked directly at them and then looked away without noticing them. While they were doing that, the Doctor tiptoed over to the hatch controls and watched them when he got to it. When they went behind the ship, he opened the hatch and lowered the ramp. He beckoned to the others and they quickly hurried up the ramp before the Diablons came back. Pepa ran over to his console and set the alarm so that it would trap any non-humanoids. Then all of them waited patiently by the console while the Doctor whispered to John Smith, telling him they were inside the ship and not to panic if he heard other voices.

"Hey, look!" they heard one of the Diablons saying. "It's open now!"

"Quick, go inside and see if you see anyone," the other one said.

Everyone waited and several seconds later, the Diablons walked up the ramp. The moment they were both completely inside the ship, an alarm went off and they yelled in rage when a force field dome materialized around them, trapping them inside. The Doctor took off his perception filter and walked over to them while Pepa raised the ramp and closed the hatch.

"Hello, seems the two of you are poking your red noses where they're not wanted," he said.

He smirked when the Diablons beat on the sides of the force field, trying to get free.

"I think you'll find that's a waste of both time and energy. You can't get out. Now…who are you, how many of you are here and what are you doing to the humans?"

"We'll never tell you, human!" one of them snarled at him.

"Oh, I'm not a human, Diablon, I'm a Time Lord."

He chuckled at the shocked expression on their faces and nodded.

"That's right, I'm your greatest enemy and this planet is under my protection and I'm not about to tolerate you invading it. So if I were you, I'd start talking and telling me everything you know before I begin torturing you. Who is Mex, your leader?"

"We're not telling you anything, Time Lord," one of them said. "You might as well start torturing us."

"Very well, if I must," the Doctor said with a shrug.

He walked away and went back to the console.

"Do you have any way to torture someone while they're trapped in there?" he asked him.

"You can shock them with low level electrical shocks," Pepa said.

"Give them one shock then, just to let them know I'm serious," the Doctor said.

Pepa nodded. He walked over to the console, pushed a button and there was a sizzling sound followed by two high-pitched yelps. The Doctor nodded.

"I'll be back in a trice if this doesn't work. I don't want to hurt them unnecessarily, I just want to try to scare them into talking," he said to him.

He walked back over to the force field and noticed both Diablons looked stunned.

"Now…I believe I demonstrated my ability to inflict pain, so out with it, tell me what you know or I'll increase the torture. Your choice, talk to me or scream in agony, either way is fine with me."

He folded his arms over his chest and waited for their response. While he waited, he noticed movement out of the corner of his eye and noticed Jeremy was now standing in the shadows, silently observing them. One of the Diablons caught his eye and Jeremy waved at him.

"Who's that?" the Diablon asked the Doctor.

"My brother," the Doctor said.

He ignored the stunned look on Jeremy's face while he moved closer to the force field.

"I'm running out of patience and I have an itchy finger that's just aching to hit the shock button again. So…what do you choose, cooperation or electrocution?"

"You'll never get away with this," one of them said. "There are more of us down below."

"How many?" the Doctor said. "Exact numbers. I know there's at least three of you since you mentioned Mex, now out with it! I'm near the end of my patience now!"

"If I were you, I'd do what he said," Jeremy said. "You don't wanna get on his bad side."

The Doctor feigned exasperation when they didn't speak.

"Fine, I'll shock the truth out of you," he said as he started to head back towards the console room.

"No, wait!" one of the Diablons said. "We'll talk."

"The hell we will," his friend said.

"Nanth, you heard him, he'll shock us to death," the Diablon said.

"I don't care, that's nothing compared to what Mex can do to us," Nanth replied.

"I give you my word, if you help me, I will protect you," the Doctor said.

"Why should we trust a Time Lord?" Nanth said in disgust.

"Because I'm all that stands between you and Mex at this moment and from the tone of your voice, Mex is not someone to be trifled with. If you'll help me, I'll help you but I'm warning you, deceive me and I'll do to you what my ancestors did to your people so I wouldn't press your luck if I were you."

"What happens if we cooperate?" Nanth's friend said.

"You get to leave this planet alive, that's what happens. I will show you mercy but you and your mates aren't staying here and enslaving the humans. Now…will you talk to me?"

The two Diablons thought for a moment and then nodded.

"As long as you can guarantee our safety," Nanth said.

"I give you my word," the Doctor said.

The two Diablons nodded and the Doctor smiled when they began to give him information.


	35. Chapter 35

Chapter Thirty Five

After getting some information from the terrified Diablons, the Doctor left them in the force field while all of them prepared to go down into the pyramid.

"Right, there's thirty of them in total," the Doctor said to the others. "Mex and his minions. We have two here so we only have to deal with twenty eight."

"Oh, is that all?" John said. "Wow, and for a moment, I was worried we'd be overwhelmed once we got down there. So do we get guns?"

"No," Amy, Rose, Jeremy, Rory, Paul and Bill said in unison.

"Then what do we do to defend ourselves?" John asked them, "run up and kick their little demon bollocks?"

"We use our minds, that's our best weapon," the Doctor said. "And we use whatever's at hand. But no guns, we're better than that."

Paul looked back when John came up behind him and put his hands on his shoulders.

"Bye, Paulie, see you and other Paulie when I get to Heaven," he said to him.

"Don't say that, I haven't used a gun yet since I've been with him and I'm still here," Paul said. "You didn't use guns as a ted; just remember when you were younger in Hamburg."

"You mean when people used to threaten to beat the hell out of us and I had to run and hide to avoid getting a knife in the gut? Are those the days you're referring to?" John said.

"Come on, Johnnie, we'll be alright. I trust you to watch my back," Paul said, patting him on the back.

While they were talking, Jeremy walked up beside the Doctor. The Doctor gave him a questioning look.

"What you said earlier, calling me brother? Did you mean that?" Jeremy asked.

"Well, I thought about it and you, me and John Smith share the same genes so I believe that would make us brothers," he said with a shrug.

Jeremy's face fell. The Doctor frowned when he walked away from him with a muttered, "Oh, I see…" The Doctor sighed angrily and quickly walked around him.

"What's wrong now?" he said.

"You were speaking in a literal sense, not an emotional sense. Sorry, my bad. Carry on as before," Jeremy said with just a trace of bitterness.

He started to walk away but the Doctor grabbed his wrist and led him back towards the back. He let go of Jeremy's hand when they reached the hatch and yelled through the metal door for John Smith to open it. He told Jeremy to wait with him and they stood there waiting for the hatch to open. A moment later, they heard the bolt being slid back and watched the wheel spin as John Smith opened the door. He lifted it up and blinked in shock.

"I thought you were gone," he said to them.

"Not just yet, we have to talk, the three of us before we leave," the Doctor said. "Can we come down there so we can have some privacy?"

John Smith nodded. He let the hatch door fall back and went down the ladder again. The Doctor indicated that Jeremy should go first and then he followed him. He grabbed the door and closed it as he went down. He heard giggling and turned his head. Smiling, he saw John Smith playing peek-a-boo with Tia while she hid below the blanket on the first bed. The Doctor jumped off when he was two rungs from the bottom and motioned for John Smith and Jeremy to come to him. Tia watched and then slid out from under the covers, going over to the Doctor. He smiled and lifted her up, holding her to his body while she held on to him.

"Now…" the Doctor said to John Smith, "I know you didn't hear me either but this is what happened…"

He quickly gave John Smith a brief rundown on events. John Smith nodded.

"Good. Then you have some clue of how to go about rescuing the humans," he said.

"Yes, but…you did hear me say I called Jeremy brother, right?" he said to John Smith.

John Smith nodded.

"Yes. What's your point? He is genetically your brother as I am, yeah?"

"Precisely. However, Jeremy is upset because he thinks I meant brother in a purely logical sense, merely calling him that because that's what he was, my genetic brother. However, Jeremy, I didn't mean it in a purely logical sense."

"What?" Jeremy said in shock.

The Doctor smiled.

"Look, I was thinking while I was repairing the ship, about the three of us and this interesting development we find ourselves in. Now, with John, I had no control over his being born, which was Pepa's doing."

"Same with me, I came about because you were trying to save your regeneration."

"Yes, but…let me finish," the Doctor said, holding up his hands. "That's true but what I'm talking about is the situation right now. I had no choice having John Smith here but you, I had a choice to bring you along when I went to get Rose."

"And now you're regretting my being here," Jeremy said bitterly.

"No, no, I'm not. It's true that when the idea was first brought to my attention, I had mixed feelings about it, especially in light of what I did. But…I then realized I had a golden opportunity here, a chance to make amends for a rash and callous act which is why I decided to let you come with me and help me out. And…Observing you, I see now that you have changed and you're no longer filled with rage and bitterness. You've helped me out, helped us all out and I realized that perhaps I misjudged you. I've had time to think about everything that's happened and the situation as it stands and I was wondering if perhaps the three of us might consider ourselves brothers."

Jeremy and John Smith glanced at each other and huge grins spread over their faces. They both hugged the Doctor and he grinned as he set Tia down and hugged them back.

"Now, my brothers, how about going up and going down and finishing this once and for all?" the Doctor asked them.

They nodded and the Doctor hugged Tia and gave her a big kiss. John Smith picked her up and watched as the Doctor and Jeremy went back up the ladder.

Once they were assembled, Pepa lowered the ramp. They froze when they saw two more Diablons staring at the ship. Their heads jerked over to the ramp and they looked at each other before they walked over. Everyone stepped back as the Diablons came up the ramp. Nanth and his friend tried to warn them but the moment the two of them stepped inside, they were caught in another force field.

"You fools, there's two Time Lords and a bunch of humans in here," Nanth said to the new captives. "They saw you coming and stepped back so you'd come in here."

"Where? I don't see anyone," one of the Diablon said, looking around.

Nanth's eyes bugged out and he looked over at the Doctor and his companions who were standing just to the side of their prison.

"There! They're right there!" he said, pointing to them, "are you fools blind?"

The new captives looked hard but they shrugged when they couldn't see anything. The Doctor silently beckoned to the others and they walked past both prisons while Nanth screamed at his associates, trying to get them to see the Doctor and his companions while they walked quietly past them. Pepa raised the ramp and they walked away as the angry screams from Nanth were shut up inside the ship.

"Boy, these key necklaces sure do come in handy," John said as they headed for the stairs.

"Yes, which is why we still have an advantage over the Diablons even without guns," the Doctor said. "All we have to do is work as a team and we'll be able to beat them and drive them away from Earth."

They opened the door and checked inside. They didn't see anyone so they stared down. Jeremy hung back with Rose and as they went down, Jeremy softly told her what the Doctor had said to them. Rose was ecstatic at that and gave him a quick kiss of congratulations while Jeremy grinned. They neared the end of the steps and the Doctor put his fingers to his lips as they slipped through a doorway into a large room that served as a storage room for spare parts for the ship and other things. They could hear weeping and moaning as they inched towards the door. The Doctor unlocked it with the screwdriver and slowly opened it while everyone waited. He looked around and saw no one and nodded to the others before they followed him out the door. Once they were all through, Jeremy closed it quietly and took Rose's hand while they all followed in a straight line through a corridor. The crying grew louder and the Doctor decided to follow it. He used his sensitive hearing to pinpoint the weeping and found it came from a room about a hundred feet ahead of them. He tried the door and when he found it locked, he used his screwdriver on it.

He opened the door slowly and noticed it was a laboratory similar to the one they had been escorted to when they met Pepa for the first time. The Doctor held up his hand and stopped the others from following him when he noticed a Diablon had a human strapped to a metal table and was standing with his back to him. The blonde woman on the table had an IV drip going into her arm. The Doctor slowly inched up to the Diablon and without a word, seized his neck and administered a knock out pinch to a pressure point there. The Diablon didn't utter a word as he fell to the floor. The Doctor stepped over him and looked at the woman. She was young, a teenager, and a red liquid was going from the IV bag directly into a vein in her arm. She was naked and extremely shapely with a heart shaped face, petite rounded nose and blue eyes. The Doctor had to admit that Pepa did do a good job when he made his humans but he quickly pushed that thought out of his head while he went around to the IV drip and pulled the needle out of her arm. The woman grunted at the slight pain and turned her head towards him, her eyes unfocused as she tried to see what was going on. The Doctor leaned into her face and smiled as he put a hand on her arm so she would see his face. The women blinked and her eyes widened in shock while Paul glanced in and everyone slowly came inside the room.

"Hi," the Doctor said softly, "I'm the Doctor, what's your name?"

"Lila," the woman said in a raspy voice, "help me."

"I will, just relax, you're safe now," the Doctor said gently as he put a hand on her arm. "My friends and I will help you."

Lila looked where he was pointing and saw the others for the first time. She stared at them in amazement.

"You're free?" she asked Paul.

"Yes. And we're going to help you and everyone else in here," he said softly.

"Pepa," the Doctor said, beckoning to him, "What is this stuff in the bag? Do I need to be worried about the fact that it's been going into Lila's body?"

Pepa walked over to him and examined it for a moment.

"Yes, be very concerned. This is Altrocite."

"Poison?" the Doctor said in alarm.

"Yes, we use it to euthanize people humanly."

"Where's the antidote?" the Doctor hissed at him.

Pepa rushed over to the cabinets while the Doctor looked at Lila. His hearts raced when he noticed sweat breaking out on her face as he skin begin to turn ashen.

"Hurry, she's dying," the Doctor hissed at Pepa.

Pepa quickly rummaged through the cabinet and found a small glass bottle containing a clear liquid. Everyone watched in alarm as Lila's breathing became shallower. The Doctor felt her forehead and grimaced when he felt how hot it was. Meanwhile, Pepa pulled out a syringe and quickly filled it with the liquid. He raced back over and without comment put the needle directly into Lila's jugular vein. Lila groaned in pain as he depressed the plunger and the liquid went into her body. For a moment Lila looked like she was about to die and then her breathing evened out and the Doctor felt her forehead cooling down. He breathed a sigh of relief as he, Paul, Amy and Rory undid the straps securing her to the table. Pepa brought over a white lab coat and they put it on her while the Doctor looked around for her clothes. He didn't find anything except her underwear and he handed them to Lila. Everyone looked away when she put them back on and when she was done, the Doctor reached into his pocket and put a perception filter around her neck.

"We're going to rescue everyone in here, Lila," he said to her. "I put a magic key around your neck. It makes you invisible to the bad people but you have to be absolutely quiet, can you do that for us?"

Lila nodded and the Doctor helped her off the table. He smiled when Bill stepped up and took her hand.

"This is Bill. He's a wonderful bloke and he'll look after you, okay?" he said to Lila.

She nodded and let Bill lead her back to Michelle. The Doctor looked at the Diablon and looked at Pepa.

"Is there anything we can use to tie him up and gag him?" he asked Pepa.

"Yes, there's a storage cupboard two doors down. It has rope and blankets in it.

"Good. I'll go down there then with you. Everyone else, keep an eye on Big Red until we get back."

The Doctor and Pepa hurried past them while everyone gathered around the Diablon and waited.


	36. Chapter 36

Chapter Thirty Six

After tying up the Diablon and making sure he had a firm gag in his mouth, they moved on. Bill kept busy trying to quietly reassure Lila as they moved down a corridor in search of other Diablon or humans. They found a storage room that was being used as a prison cell. Opening it, they found two men, three women and a five year old child. They revealed themselves and explained that they were being rescued. The Doctor looked at the captives and looked at Lila and shook his head.

"This isn't gonna work. We can't keep massing humans. I don't have enough perception filters for everyone. Someone's gonna have to take them back up to the ship and we'll have to make runs back and forth for all the humans we find."

"I can do it," Paul said.

The Doctor nodded.

"You better take someone else with you though, just in case there's trouble."

"I'll go," John said.

"Okay," the Doctor said softly after telling the humans and Lila to go with them. "Be careful; try to avoid any trouble if you can. Hopefully, you can make it back and forth without anyone seeing you."

"Don't worry, we've both been in our share of punch-ups before," John said. "We know how to fight."

"Let me go with them, just in case," Rose said.

"Why? You don't think we rock stars know how to handle ourselves?" John said to her.

"No, I just want to make sure you have enough help. Especially since some of those Diablons are huge," Rose said.

"Okay, you three be careful then," the Doctor said.

Rose kissed Jeremy while Paul kissed Jane. Both of their significant others wished them luck and told them to be careful before the two of them joined John. The three of them beckoned to the humans and they went back the way they came while the others went forward.

Paul and Rose flanked the humans, looking behind them periodically while John took the lead. John looked back at Rose with an impish grin.

"Okay, out with it, you came with us because you're Paulie's number one fan," he said to her while Paul sniggered.

"She was just devastated when she realized she'd lose sight of me," Paul said while Rose rolled her eyes. "I'm the sun, moon and stars to her. She may be from London, but she secretly adores us northern men."

"Yes, I'm just falling all over myself to get to you," Rose said dryly.

"Of course you are, Scousers rule and Cockneys drool," Paul replied while John sniggered.

"You know, I can understand why the novelty of having a Beatle along wore off for Amy because it's worn off for me as well," Rose said.

"Piss Off, Pond? She adores me, I'm a god to her," Paul said.

Paul and John giggled while Rose shook her head.

"If you lot are done being witty, I have something to say," the Doctor said in their ears.

"Go ahead," Paul said.

"We just found ten more humans so Amy, Rory, George and Ringo are right behind you. The rest of us are still searching and if we find more, we might send more up but at the moment it's me, Jeremy, Bill, Michelle, Pepa and Jane. Hopefully, you lot will be back by the time we find some more because I don't want to keep splitting up our group until it's just down to me. I would like to have some help if the Diablons…damn, gotta stay silent, I see a few Diablons up ahead. Over and out."

"Righty-ho, Squadron Leader," John replied while Paul and Rose glanced back over their shoulders.

"Are we going to be safe?" Lila asked.

Paul smiled at her.

"Everything'll be alright, love, we're taking you to safety now," he said to her. "No one will get you where we're going."

Rose shushed them and they noticed a Diablon up ahead coming down the stairs that led to the top of the pyramid. He froze when he saw the terrified humans.

"What is the meaning of this?" the Diablon said in a deep voice as he advanced on the petrified group. "How did you get out?"

Rose walked up to the front. She pointed to Paul and John, pointed to the back of her head and mimed punching someone while she mouthed "All together," to them. Both men nodded and they quickly pressed themselves up against the wall with Rose just before the Diablon reached them. When he stopped, they stepped around behind him while the Diablon looked them over and reached down for a communicator he was carrying in a holder on his belt. Rose, John and Paul shared a glance. Rose held up one finger then two and then three and all of them hit the Diablon as hard as they could in the back of the head. The Diablon grunted and staggered forward as Lila and the others backed up. The dazed Diablon turned and looked around but the three fighters had pressed themselves back up against the wall. The Diablon rounded and snarled at the humans.

"Who did that? Is it more of your friends?" he said while Rose, John and Paul got back into position.

Rose once again counted to three with her fingers and they punched him even harder. This time the combined effort knocked the Diablon out and Lila and the others backed up when he fell forward onto his face.

"Okay, now what?" John said. "We can't leave him here for others to find. They'll sound the alarm."

Rose raised her eyebrow when she saw how tall and bulky the Diablon was.

"Um…think we can even pick him up?" she asked them.

John and Paul shared a glance and the humans watched while they tried to lift him without success. Lila looked at her fellow humans.

"Come on, help them," she said.

She and the other humans got around the Diablon, Paul gave a count of three and everyone grunted as they picked the Diablon up and carried him back towards the stairs. There was a space underneath the stairs and everyone tried to put the Diablon underneath it and shoved him back under it as best they could.

"Right, he won't stay like that for long, we need to get moving," Paul said. "Come on, everyone, follow us."

"What's all this then?"

Everyone looked behind them and saw the second group walking up.

"What'd you do?" Amy said as they walked up and stared at the Diablon, "defeat one, did ya?"

"Yes, our team is quite capable," Paul said. "All of us, this lot helped us move him," he added, pointing to their humans.

They fell silent when they heard sounds of struggle coming from the Doctor's team.

"Damn, sounds like some of these blokes saw through the invisibility act," George said.

"In that case, let's get this lot up to the ship and come back down so we can help," Rose said. "Everyone follow us!"

They hurried up the steps, listening to the sounds of battle in their ears. John's eyes bulged when he heard Michelle let out a bloodcurdling scream followed by the sound of fist on flesh.

"Was that Bill's girlfriend?" Rose said to them.

"I think so," Paul said. "Sounds like those cavemen instincts are kicking in now."

"Bill better watch the way he treats her then," John said. "The moment she gets angry, she might jump on his back and beat him to death."

They reached the top floor and Rose opened the door. They saw a Diablon trying to get into the ship. Before he could react, her and her friends were rushing towards him, yelling at the top of their lungs. To their surprise, the humans joined in and the Diablon was soon overwhelmed by superior numbers. Paul went over to the control panel, opened the door and let the ramp down while everyone else picked up the Diablon. They took him inside while the other four trapped Diablon screamed curses at them. They ignored them while they put the unconscious Diablon on the floor. The moment they did and stepped back a force field formed around him.

"Wow, this ship is getting cluttered," Amy said. "We're gonna have to make room if there's thirty of them."

"Well, with these four and the one downstairs, it's now down to twenty five," Rory replied.

They beckoned for the humans to follow them to the sleeping quarters. While they did that, they suddenly became aware that the fighting had stopped on the other end.

"Doctor, is everything alright?" Rose spoke aloud when they stopped at the hatch and Paul yelled for John Smith to unlock the hatch. "Doctor?"

She gave the others a worried look when he didn't answer.

"Bill? Michelle? Pepa?" she said while John Smith unlocked the hatch and turned the wheel. "Jane…"

She swallowed hard.

"Jeremy?" she said, her heart thumping in her chest.

"Nothing," Paul said, shaking his head while John Smith lifted the hatch door.

He looked at them and looked at the humans.

"Got some company for you and Tia," Paul said to him.

John Smith nodded and climbed down while John instructed the humans to follow him. One by one they followed them down while Rose tried again to call to their friends. None of them answered and Amy put a hand on her shoulder when Rose looked at the others with worry on her face.

"Don't worry, we'll find them."

"What worries me is we found Lila being poisoned. What if they do that to them?" Rose said. "The Doctor might be able to regenerate but the others…"

Amy knew what she was getting at and she squeezed her friend's shoulder.

"We'll get him back, he's not dying," Amy said.

She glanced at Paul. He hadn't said anything but he could see his jaw was tight and he was trying not to show any emotion while he watched the humans climbing down into the sleeping quarters. He managed a grin when he heard his daughter asking who all the people were in an amazed tone of voice. Amy went over to him and laid her hand on his shoulder. Paul looked back and feigned disgust.

"Ick," he said while Amy swatted his shoulder.

"She'll be alright," Amy said to him.

Paul nodded.

"Yeah, she's made it this far," he said. "I'm quite proud of her really."

"So am I, I'm glad she decided to come with us," Amy said.

"Yeah, me too," Paul replied. "I just want to get down there and find out what happened and help her if I can. The sooner, the better."

The last of the humans went down into the sleeping quarters and John Smith climbed up the ladder.

"Heard the fight," he said to them. "Hope they're alright."

"They are," Amy said. "I don't think the Diablons will kill them yet. Not without trying to get some information from them. Sorry, it's so crowded down there now."

"Nah, I'd rather have these people here safe and sound. Just hurry up and find the others and if you find more humans, don't hesitate to bring them here when you get the time. I'm sure Tia and I can find ways to entertain them."

"Daddy?" Tia said, coming over to the bottom of the ladder.

Paul leaned over and waved at her. His heart melted when a huge smile broke out over his daughter's face and she started up the ladder towards him. John Smith came up and out of the hatch and Paul stepped in front of the ladder while his daughter scrambled up it and ran to hug him. Paul chuckled, picked her up and twirled her around, giving her cheek a kiss while she giggled.

"Stay, Daddy," Tia said.

Paul hesitated.

"Wanna switch with me for awhile and hold down the fort?" John Smith said.

"Yeah, I better do that. Just in case Jane…well, you know…she needs at least one parent."

"Don't say that, we'll rescue them," Rory said.

"And on that note, we better get going," John Smith said.

"Good luck, I'll be listening and praying for your success."

Amy gave him a quick hug and Paul smiled when he returned it with one arm. When she let go, Rose dashed into his arms and hugged him.

"Oh, Paul, I'm your number one fan!" she said while everyone laughed.

Paul chuckled at that and gave her a friendly peck on the cheek. He and Tia watched while they hurried back towards the hatch before he looked at his daughter.

"Well, love, just you and me and some new friends. Let's go to the storage room though so you can go to the loo and see if there's something to eat, eh?"

He held her close to him, trying not to think about Jane and what might be happening to her while he headed towards the storage compartment.


	37. Chapter 37

Chapter Thirty Seven

By the time they got back down the stairs, the pyramid was quiet. They had heard random sounds on their communicators, orders to move their friends and the other humans into a ship and they rushed downstairs, fearing an evacuation. The Diablon who had been lying under the stairs was gone now and Rose led the others through the complex, searching for any sign of humans, Diablons or their friends and family members. Their spirits sank when they searched most of the pyramid and found it empty. Rose called to their missing comrades but there was no answer. They kept on searching, hoping that the Diablons might have left them behind. They tried every door that was unlocked since no one had a screwdriver but every room was empty. Then they tried on door, opened it and gasped when they saw Pepa lying in a lab table barely alive. They ran to him and John Smith felt his pulse and checked him over.

"He's alive but only just, I think we need to get him back to the ship and get him stabilized before the Diablons come back," he said to the others, "I don't think anyone else is in here. I have a feeling they took the rest of the humans so we couldn't get them and they took the Doctor and Jeremy because they're Time Lords. We need to get out of here and get airborne and think of a plan. Can you lot carry him and I'll see if I can gather a few medical supplies.

John gathered him into his arms while John Smith rummaged through the cupboards and drawers, gathering a few things onto a plastic tray. When the tray was filled, they hurried back to the ship. When they were in the ship, John Smith instructed John to lay him on the floor while he hurried and got the ship airborne. Once they were in the air and in orbit around Earth, John Smith put it on autopilot and went to tend to his friend. By that time, Paul had returned with Tia and they were watching silently, Paul sighing angrily while Tia munched on some biscuits that he had found in the storage room. Rose assisted him while the others watched. Amy glanced over at their captives who were glaring at them from their force field prisons. She walked over to them.

"Okay, where would they go if they evacuated Pepperland?" she asked Nanth.

Nanth and the others laughed.

"What makes you think I'll tell you?" he said.

"You better tell me or I'll shock you," Amy said, hoping she sounded menacing.

"I'm not scared of you, puny human," Nanth sneered. "You're not the Time Lord and I doubt you even know how to torture us. If our people evacuated with the remaining humans and your friends then all I have to say is too bad, you're not getting any information from us."

"Just wait, you'll be sorry," Amy said.

She turned, ignoring the laughter and taunts from the Diablon while she walked back to John Smith and Rose. By now, Pepa was starting to recover and he looked more alive. Amy knelt down beside them.

"Was he poisoned?" she asked them.

"No, just basically beaten to within an inch of his life," John Smith said. "I managed to give him some medicine, pain killers and I also managed to stop the loss of blood and…SHUT IT! YOU MAY NOT RESPECT AMY BUT I'M A TIME LORD AND YOU WILL RESPECT ME!" he screamed at the Diablons who were still taunting them. "UNLIKE AMY, I DO KNOW WHERE THE SHOCK BUTTON IS AND I WON'T HESITATE TO USE IT ON YOU LOT IF YOU DON'T BUTTON IT!"

The Diablons fell silent and glowered at him while he grinned at Amy.

"See, someone still has authority around here," he said to her. "Right, I think he'll live. He just needs rest. I'll take him down to the sleeping quarters. In the meantime, we need to come up with a plan."

"I have a thought," Paul said, coming forward.

"Yes?" John Smith said.

"Well, first off, can you take this ship back to your TARDIS?"

"I think so. I think I can go into the database and figure out the coordinates of our universe. We really should have Pepa in the TARDIS. The med bay there is more advance and can heal him faster, not to mention it would offer us and the humans more protection."

"Well, I was thinking that since we got Rose and Jeremy, perhaps there's a way we can go get Donna and Jack? We'll need more people now to help us and if Donna's a good a fighter as Rose, she'll come in handy, not to mention an immortal man."

"Can you restore Donna?" Rose asked John Smith.

"I can't, but perhaps he can," John Smith replied, nodding at Pepa. "It'll be a tricky situation, trying to lure Donna back without triggering premature memories. The Doctor did put a failsafe measure in mind that will keep her from dying but still…I don't think she'll go without a fight and she's very stubborn and she'll beat the everlovin' snot outta ya if you give her the chance."

"What about Martha then? Can we get her as well?" Rose said. "And Sarah Jane?"

John Smith thought for a moment.

"Jack isn't on Earth anymore. At least I don't think so. The Doctor located him on a bar on Draxus Minor. Don't know if he frequents that place but we can try it. If he isn't there, the barkeep might know where he's at. Martha…Martha might be harder to track down, although I can try speaking to Francine. She was at UNIT and then she married Mickey and went freelance with him."

"Mickey and Martha?" Rose said amused.

"Yup. Mickey Boy is officially wearin' a ball and chain now. Sarah…Sarah might help us. I'm sure she's still at home. Perhaps she can bring her son and his friends. They're wonderful kids and just as good a fighter as she is."

Pepa groaned and they looked at him as he slowly opened his eyes.

"What happened?" he said when he saw John Smith.

"Well, we found you near death and the Diablon have evacuated Pepperland with the rest of the humans and the Doctor's team. We need to get back to the TARDIS in our original universe. Do you happen to know the coordinates?"

"They should be in the ship's computer. I used to travel back and forth when I first started gathering up the Neanderthals," he said weakly. "But what are you going to do?"

John Smith explained their plan and told him that once they were over into the other universe, he could land the TARDIS on top of the ship and take it inside her.

"What? The TARDIS can fit around this ship?" Rose said.

"Yes, it is bigger on the inside, you know. The Doctor once landed on the Concorde and took it inside the ship."

"Are you serious? He had the bleedin' Concorde inside the TARDIS?" she said.

"Yes, why is that so hard to believe? He landed around you, didn't he?"

"Yeah, but I'm not the Concorde."

"Still, it's the same concept," John Smith said. "We land on the ship and that way we have it with us for the trip back to this universe. Once we get back to prehistoric Earth, I can separate the TARDIS from this ship and then pilot the TARDIS inside it so the ship will carry her back across to Pepperland. Now I have a question, I have a friend that needs your help…"

He explained to him about Donna and the need to repair her mind. Pepa considered it for a moment.

"I might be able to restore her, although she might lose her Time Lord knowledge," he said.

"That's fine. She's brilliant as it is, she doesn't need a Time Lord mind," he said. "If I can get back to the TARDIS, I can fix your body further and get you back on your feet."

"Well then, help me to the co-pilot chair and I'll show you how to operate the dimensional jump."

John Smith nodded. He and Rose got Pepa to his feet and helped them to his chair while the others went to the sleeping quarters to prepare for the dimensional jump.


	38. Chapter 38

Chapter Thirty Eight

Mex smiled to himself as he walked the metal corridor of his spaceship. After the Doctor and his pets were subdued and captured, they realized that there were others and they quickly took the remaining humans along with the Doctor and his friends on board their ship. The ship which had been stored in a hangar underneath the ground behind the pyramid wasn't very large but it was big enough to hold thirty Diablons and any cargo they might carry. And right now the cargo was the Doctor, his friends and the fifteen humans that were left. All of them had been herded into the cryogenic room and put into suspended animation tubes for the trip back to their home world. Now as they flew back home, Mex was speaking into a communicator inserted inside his ear and talking with his supreme commander, Orlox, and telling him what happened and what they were bringing back to Diablos.

"And you say you captured a Time Lord?" Orlox was saying to him while he went into the cryogenic room.

"Actually, I captured two," he said as he walked over to the glass tube that held the Doctor.

Beside his tube was the tube that held Jeremy. All the tubes had liquid nitrogen pumped into them, a low level mixture that froze the occupant without killing him or making him brittle to the touch. Mex put his hand on the tube as he gazed at his prize. The liquid nitrogen had crystallized his skin, making it shimmer in the room's light. Ice crystals were scattered through his hair and hung down off the tips while the Doctor stayed in a deep sleep. Mex looked at the other Time Lord and ran his finger down the tube.

"The other one is imperfect though," Mex was saying to Orlox while he gazed at Jeremy, "he has a Time Lord mind but his body is more like the humans. He only possesses one heart."

"Then he has been contaminated," Orlox said. "He is useless. Destroy him."

"I beg to differ, Commander. I think his mind can still be harnessed. He still possesses Time Lord knowledge even if his body is weak and frail like the humans."

"Very well, we'll bring them to Serlula and see what she can do with them. If he can't be of any use to us, perhaps he'll be able to work as a servant after the proper brainwashing, of course."

"Of course, Commander."

"And the others, they are only humans?"

"Yes, Commander, do you want me to dispose of them?"

"No, let's find out if they can be of use to us. I'm sure Serlula will want to experiment on a couple of them and find out what that Pepa did to them. After all, he managed to engineer a new species, might as well learn all we can about them."

"Yes, Commander. Do you need me to do anything else?"

"Yes, unfreeze the full blooded Time Lord and interrogate him. I want to know if he and this Halfling are acting alone or will there be more of his kind coming to assist him. If there is going to be a full scale war with the Time Lords, I want to know about it in advance."

"Yes, Commander, I will unfreeze him at once."

"Be careful though. His kind cannot be trusted. Do not be deceived by him."

"I will be careful, Commander. I know what his kind have done to our people. He will be guarded at all times."

"Good. See that he is. We've already lost four of our men to him and I want him to tell you what he did with them. If he killed them, kill four of the humans in retaliation."

"Yes, Commander," Mex said, pushing a button on the side of the tube to unthaw the Doctor.

He finished his conversation with his superior and chuckled when steam heat rose from the bottom of the tube to unthaw the Doctor.

"At long last, a living Time Lord is my captive. And after you've outlived your usefulness to the Diablon, you will spend the rest of your lives serving me and my kind as a slave."

Meanwhile, John Smith and Pepa had successfully crossed over to the other universe and they were currently flying the ship several feet off the ground while they looked for the TARDIS. Since they had gone, the blizzard that had started when they set off from the cave had now ended and several more feet of snow blanketed the surface. While they flew the ship, the others stood behind them looking out at the snowy environment. John Smith steered the ship while Pepa rested and stared wearily out the window. He raised it slightly when he saw a huge snowdrift. Once he got past it though, he suddenly saw a bunch of startled Neanderthals running away, whooping in terror.

"There's Tia and Michelle's people," Paul said, pointing at them. "Apparently they were out hunting again."

"And thanks to us and our big yellow ship, now they'll all have multiple heart attacks and die of fright and that'll be the end of the cavemen. Jolly good for us! We'll be responsible for their extinction," John said.

"Daddy!" Tia said, pointing to the neanderthals when Paul picked her up.

"Yeah, you see your old family, love?" he asked her.

"I better lift the ship up before I really do give them heart attacks," John Smith said.

He raised the ship up and flew over their heads.

"Bye, startled cavemen," Ringo said when they continued on.

The Doctor slowly opened his eyes and grunted as he raised himself up on his elbows. He was lying on his stomach on the cold metal floor and he turned his groggy head left and right trying to get over his disorientation enough to find out where he was. He saw Mex lounging on a leather couch in front of him and while he stared at him he suddenly became aware of something around his throat. His hand fluttered across it and he felt a leather collar.

"It's a shock collar," Mex said, watching him intently. "Merely a precaution, in case you become unruly during our chat."

"Where are my friends?" the Doctor said, slowly raising himself to his knees.

"They're in suspended animation which is where you were until about twenty minutes ago," Mex replied calmly.

"What are you going to do to them?"

"Well, that depends on how well you cooperate. We could let them be servants or we could incinerate them."

"I see," the Doctor said, narrowing his eyes, "the lesser of two evils, is it?"

"Perhaps, if you see it like that. I prefer to think of it as life and death. Now…those are just the humans...the half-breed is something else entirely."

"What will become of him?" the Doctor asked.

"Don't know," Mex said with a shrug. "We have a scientist who will take a look at all of them and determine if they're useful or not. Both you and him are far more useful to us than the apes, of course, but the humans could serve as slaves or as lab experiments."

"I won't let you do that," the Doctor growled.

Mex chuckled.

"I don't believe you have a choice in the matter, Time Lord. You and them are at our mercy now and all of you will obey or there will be dire consequences. Now…first things first, what should I call you? You do have a name, don't you?"

The Doctor paused a moment, buying time while he checked his communicator and listened for any sign of his friends. He didn't hear anything and cursed mentally, wondering if the freezing process had destroyed his communicator.

"Well? I'm waiting, Time Lord," Mex said when he didn't speak. "Tell me your name or do you wish to be addressed as Time Lord?"

"I am the Doctor," he said.

"I see. And the half-breed?"

"He's Jeremy."

"Thank you. I'm glad you are civil enough to answer my questions. Now…the next question is are you and Jeremy acting alone or are there other Time Lords coming to fight us?"

"No, Jeremy and I are alone," the Doctor lied. "We're travelers."

"If that's so then why didn't you just keep on traveling and leave us alone?" Mex asked.

"Because we also right wrongs wherever we find them."

An amused grin spread over Mex's face.

"What wrong? These humans are nothing more than animals to be domesticated and used. We saw Earth and realized that it was rich in resources so we decided to come down and take what we could find. As I understand it, you and your kind are the higher species and I wasn't aware you cared for such lowly creatures."

"I'm not like most Time Lords," the Doctor said. "Unlike most of them, I don't sit around and do nothing. I protect the lower creatures from exploitation from the likes of you."

"And there are no domesticated animals on Gallifrey that you exploit for your own benefit?"

The Doctor said nothing and Mex chuckled.

"Your silence speaks volumes, my friend. You have been caught in a bit of hypocrisy. You, like us, decide which creatures are sentient beings and which are domesticated livestock."

"Fine, yes, I do that and I decided the humans are sentient beings. Having said that, I made it my duty to protect the planet and you and your mates are invading my turf and harming people I swore to protect."

"Ooo, how noble of you. I see I finally found a Time Lord with a conscience and actual hearts who cares for someone other than himself. But I'm afraid your charity for these beasts is not enough. We found the planet first and claimed it for the Diablon empire. Perhaps if you and yours weren't busy slaughtering us we wouldn't have gone searching for a hiding place and stumbled upon your…turf as you put it."

"I'm warning you, I'm not one to be trifled with."

Mex smirked. He reached behind him, reached for a black box and pushed a button on it. The Doctor gasped when the shock collar delivered a jolt of electricity that went through him. He fought the intense pain while Mex chuckled.

"I'm not one to be trifled with either," Mex said, turning off the electricity. "I told you I hold you and your companion's lives in my hands and I will not tolerate a flippant tongue. You will obey me, Time Lord."

Mex got to his feet.

"Prostrate yourself at my feet and beg for my mercy," he said, pointing to the floor in front of him.

The Doctor gave him a defiant look which was rewarded with another jolt of electricity.

"Obey me, slave, or the humans you hold dear will be slaughtered, cooked and you will eat them while we watch," he snarled at him as the Doctor grunted and fought to keep from passing out.

Mex turned off the electricity and the Doctor gasped. He grunted with pain when Mex seized his fringe and jerked on it.

"Obey, slave, show your master the proper obeisance or the humans die," he said with a sneer.

He let go of the Doctor's hair and laughed when the Doctor prostrated himself at the Diablon's feet.

"Now…beg for mercy, Time Lord, for you and your precious half-breed and humans!"

Mex laughed while the Doctor forced himself to plead for his and his friend's lives, resisting the urge to leap to his feet and throttle his captor since he had no idea where his companions were at or what was happening to them. Mex smiled when he finished and stroked the Doctor's hair as he lay with his face to the floor.

"Very good, slave. I believe that's all I need from you for now. Now, on your feet, you're going back to sleep until we reach Diablos," he said while the Doctor seethed silently.


	39. Chapter 39

Chapter Thirty Nine

"Martha!" Paul said when they stepped into the console room and his dog bounded down the steps towards him. "Aw, I missed ya, girl!"

He took Tia's hand when she shied away at the overexcited dog.

"No, sweetie, she won't hurt you," He soothed when he saw the terror on her face.

He held her close while Martha came up and sniffed her for a moment. Tia smiled when Martha licked her arm with her warm, wet tongue. Paul showed her how to pet her and Tia stepped away from him and petted her back while Martha wagged her tail. Meanwhile, the others came into the console room. The three Beatles and Rose stared at their surroundings in awe.

"You changed it," Rose said to John Smith, "I mean…he changed it."

"It was damaged during his last regeneration. Damaged beyond repair so he redid the interior," John Smith said. "I actually like it."

"Um…it's a bit more cold and impersonal than it was before," Rose said, following him up the stairs. "But I suppose I could get used to it."

"So…" Pepa said as he stepped into the console room, "this is a TARDIS."

He was feeling much better. They found the TARDIS and landed the ship. Then John Smith asked the TARDIS to let him in since he had no key. The TARDIS complied and after a few instructions, landed on top of the ship and took it into her. John Smith went back to the ship and helped Pepa walk to the med bay where everyone assisted him in healing their friend. After mending him until he was in near perfect shape, he led everyone up to the console room where they found Martha resting under the console, waiting for her master to come back. John Smith took the TARDIS into the vortex and turned to his friends.

"Right, where shall we go first?" he asked them.

"I have a thought," Paul said. "I would really like to take Tia and Martha to dad's so they'll be safe. She needs to be away from all this."

"We can do that," John Smith said, setting the coordinates.

"Wait, didn't you say the other Beatles are living with him?" George asked Paul.

"Yeah, you'll get to meet your doubles."

The Beatles looked at each other.

"Not sure how I feel about that," John said while Paul reached into his pocket for his mobile so he could phone ahead.

Paul hugged his father when they got to their doorstep. They lived in a large three story house a couple of miles away from city center. The house was made of a metallic alien material that shone in the sunlight. Jim, Jane's parents and Paul's Beatles along with their wives and children were standing at the door looking at everyone. Paul's Beatles looked at their duplicates and John looked back at his friends.

"Now I've seen everything," he said to them.

They came inside the house and drank tea while Tia and Martha played with Julian and Zak. Reluctantly, Paul told them what happened, wincing at the looks of distress when he told them that Jane had been kidnapped along with the others. Margaret was ashen and Richard held her close while Paul and the others swore they would get them back.

"I need you to look after our daughter and Martha though," Paul said to his father. "She's too young to be caught up in the middle of this and I don't want my dog spending time alone on the TARDIS without someone to play with her. Could you please take care of them for me?"

"You know I will, son," Jim said. "I'm glad you and Jane adopted her. She's adorable."

Paul smiled as he watched Tia running around with Julian and Zak while Martha bounded after them.

"I hate to leave her here after she bonded with us…" he began.

"But you can't possibly take her along, not when you're about to fight those creatures," Margaret said. "You need to concentrate on what you need to do and not be worrying about your daughter's welfare. She'll be safe here."

Paul laughed when his John crawled over to Tia and stuck his face down in front of her while she headed his way. She stopped and giggled while she ran around him and continued chasing the other children.

"Hey…" John said to her while everyone laughed, "that wasn't very polite. I'm gonna have to tickle ya for that one!"

He smiled at Paul.

"Good luck, mate, I would join ya but I'm afraid I would cause a bit of confusion since you already have another me with ya," he said to him.

"Yeah, I think I'll wait till you're not traveling around with duplicate Beatles," Paul's George said, "but I do wish ya luck."

"Yeah, go kick those Diablon's…bums for us," Ringo said, catching himself before he said a profanity when Margaret gave him a look of warning.

"What are you going to do after you leave here?" Cynthia said. "Go back and fight them?"

"Not quite," John Smith said, "we have a few friends we're going to try to find and recruit to help us."

"Good, you lot need all the help you can get," Jim said. "Get an army if you have to. I just want to see you all come back in one piece."

He smiled at the alternate Beatles.

"And my condolences to ya, lads, for your Paul and Brian. I know how hard it must be for someone to murder them both so savagely and yet, here you are, traveling with another version of Paul."

"It's definitely bizarre," Alternate George said, "but we're glad that your Paul has survived. And I for one am impressed that he's putting his life on the line and fighting evil."

"You're doing the same, you know," Paul said to him.

"Yeah but that's because we don't want you upstaging us as usual," Alternate John said while everyone laughed.

They visited for another half hour before they decided it was time to leave. Paul's suspicions were proven right when he tried to head for the door and his daughter followed him. He told her he had to go and she had to stay with her granddad and winced when she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck.

"No…" she said in a scared voice that made Paul's heart lurch.

He looked to his dad for help and Jim gave him a sympathetic smile as he knelt down beside his son.

"Tia?" Jim said, rubbing her back.

"Huh?" Tia said, looking at him.

"Would you like to go to the zoo with me? Spend time with your granddad?"

"What's a zoo?" Tia asked.

"It's a wonderful place filled with all sorts of animals," Paul said. "You'll love it. And maybe…if you're good, granddad will take you to get some nummy ice cream afterwards."

"You come with me!"

"No, love, I have to do something but I'll come back with mummy, I promise," Paul said, stroking her hair. "But until I come back, you can have fun with granddad."

Tia looked at him and looked at Jim, conflicted. Paul's John came up behind Jim and crossed his eyes. Paul smiled when Tia giggled at that.

"Hey, come on, you don't wanna be with your boring old daddy when you can come have fun with us!" John said as his George and Ringo came up beside him. "Besides, Jules will be here and Zak and Martha and I bet you'll forget all about your father being gone five minutes after he leaves."

Tia took a few tentative steps towards them and Jim and then looked at Paul.

"Love, I will come back, yeah? I promise," he said, his heart breaking at the fearful look on her face. "I love you but your granddad and uncles want to spend some time with you as well. Okay?"

"You…you come back?" Tia asked in a soft voice.

"Wild horses couldn't keep me from ya, love," Paul said, fighting the urge not to cry. "I just need to do some grownup things and I'll be back here before ya know it. John's right, you probably won't even miss me because you'll be having so much fun!"

He took her in his arms and held her close, kissing her cheek and telling her how much he loved her before he let his dad guide her away. Tia watched fearfully while Paul got up and kissed her head.

"You'll have fun, trust me," he said to her, giving her hand a squeeze.

He smiled when Martha came up to him and he kissed his dog's head while Martha wagged her tail. Tia smiled and moved close to her, petting her back while Paul nodded.

"Yes, you keep an eye on my doggy and make sure she's loved, yeah?" he said to her.

He straightened up and Tia watched him while he slowly moved away. John, sensing Tia was about to bolt over to his side, fell to his knees beside her and made a goofy face. Tia laughed and giggled hysterically while John tickled her. Paul shot his friend a grateful look and all of them began to leave. Tia paused for a moment when she saw Paul leaving and the fearful look passed over her face again before Jim whispered in her ear about ice cream. Then the fearful look was replaced by interest and Jim took her hand while Paul looked over his shoulder and smiled at his father and daughter heading for the kitchen.

"Go, Paulie, we'll look after her," John said as everyone waved.

Paul nodded and left with the others. The moment the door was closed, Paul sighed.

"Okay, I feel like a right bastard now," he said as he walked with the others back to the TARDIS. "She's only known us for a few days and now I'm leaving her."

"She'll be okay, Bro," Amy said while they walked. "I've babysitted before for friends and children will cry for their parents for about two seconds after they leave and then they spend the rest of the night playing and messing around. She'll be too busy being doted on by your family and friends to even notice you're gone."

"I s'pose you're right. I'll just be glad when we get this sorted out and I get back to her," Paul said.

"By the way," John said, "Anyone notice the other me is chubby? Just throwing that out there!"

John shrugged when everyone gave him an odd look.

"Well, I for one noticed he's getting a bit chunky in the middle," he said to them.

They got back in the TARDIS and John Smith looked at everyone once they climbed up the steps to the console.

"Okay, who do we go after first?" he said.

"Who's the easiest one to get?" George asked him.

"Um…my guess would be Sarah since I know where she lives and I know she'll probably say yes," John Smith replied.

"Why don't we go there first, take care of the easy one?" Ringo said.

"Okey-dokey, easy one first," John Smith said, setting a course for Ealing "Get ready, my friends, the Children of Time are going to come together and fight evil once more!"


	40. Chapter 40

Chapter Forty

"Right, I'm leaving for the shops," Sarah Jane said to Luke, Rani and Clyde as she opened the front door. "You lot behave and don't mess up my house. I'll be back as soon as I can."

"We'll be fine, Sarah Jane," Clyde said. "Have fun."

Sarah Jane paused a moment and stared at the innocent looks on their faces, suddenly getting a sneaking suspicion that leaving them alone in her house on a Saturday was a bad idea. She stepped outside, shut the door and began walking to her car when she suddenly froze as her ears caught the familiar wheezing sound she loved so dearly. She ran down the driveway and let out a cry of joy when she saw the TARDIS materializing across the street. Luke opened the front door and the teenagers ran outside while Sarah Jane sprinted across the street, calling the Doctor's name. John Smith opened the door and she ran and gave him a hug.

"Doctor, I missed you. How are you?" she said as Luke and the others ran across the street.

"Um…I'm not the Doctor, well, not really. I'm not that Doctor," John Smith said.

Sarah Jane frowned in confusion then it dawned on her.

"You're the clone then?" she said.

"Well, yes and no. I'm not that clone," he said, feeling like a fool.

"Okay, what's going on here?" Sarah Jane said, crossing her arms over her chest. "If this is some sort of joke…"

"No, It's not a joke. Um…come inside and I'll explain. All of you," he said, glancing at the teenagers.

Everyone went inside the TARDIS and Sarah Jane froze when she saw the interior.

"Wait, you changed it?" she said to John Smith.

"I'll explain. Just come have a cup of tea," he said to her as he closed the door behind them.

Sarah Jane looked at the others and she did a double take when she saw the Beatles.

"Wait…isn't that…" she said, pointing at them while the Beatles snickered.

"Paul McCartney! Pleasure," Paul said with a little bow.

"John Lennon, also a pleasure," John said with a nod of his head.

"Ringo Starr, nice to meet ya," he said, waving.

"And I'm George Harrison," George finished.

"You have the Beatles on board?" Sarah Jane said to John Smith while everyone laughed.

"Come with us, I'll explain everything. I need you and the teens help," he said to them as they followed him out of the console room.

For the next hour, John Smith and the others explained what had happened starting with a brief summary of the Doctor's death, regeneration and meeting Amy and Rory. They had to pause after talking about the Doctor's death when Sarah Jane choked up at that.

"When he saved my son…that goodbye wave he gave me, I had a funny feeling that something was wrong but I convinced myself that I was imagining things. I should know better than to deny my journalist instincts. I'm glad he was able to regenerate again. I'm sorry though…please go on."

They continued and told her about going to save Paul from dying. Sarah Jane was shocked at that when she heard that Paul had originally died and had been replaced.

"I remembered hearing those rumors growing up but that was something else I denied," she said to Paul. "I'm glad that the Doctor went back and changed things."

"So am I, I'm thankful to be here," Paul replied.

They went on with the story and Sarah Jane and the teens listened in stunned silence while they told her everything. Sarah Jane swallowed hard when they told them about the Doctor and the others being kidnapped.

"Yes, you can count on me, I would be honored to fight at your sides again," Sarah Jane said.

"What about us? Can we come?" Rani asked.

Sarah Jane glanced at them.

"You'll do everything they tell you to and you'll promise to be careful?" she asked.

They nodded.

"Then you can come with us," she said. "So are we going now then?"

"Well, I thought we'd try to find Jack. Last time the Doctor saw him was an intergalactic pub. I thought we'd try to find him there first."

"Wherever you want to go, John, go ahead," Sarah Jane said.

"Actually, can you wait a tic," Clyde said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Sarah Jane said to him.

"Well, um…we were in a hurry to get over here and we…left your door standing wide open."

"What?" Sarah Jane said as the teens sprinted towards the console room and everyone else laughed. "I swear, those three are gonna be the death of me. No wonder I have to clean my house twice a week now! Kids!"

After the teens locked the door and got back inside, John Smith set a course for the pub on Draxus Minor while the others stood around him and waited.

(Draxus Minor…)

"Evenin', Tom," Jack said to the barkeep as he settled into his usual place at the bar and ordered a Saturnalia Lager.

Tom smiled and nodded as he got him his drink. Jack sighed and looked around at the crowded pub. There was the usual crowd, the usual mixture of aliens chatting and getting drunk. Jack envied them when he saw most of them laughing and joking with their friends while they downed their drinks. He hadn't felt like laughing in a long time. His brief fling with Alonzo hadn't worked out. He had been a nice enough guy but he wasn't Ianto and that's who Jack truly wanted. Night after night, he came to the Polaris Pub to drown his sorrows in alcohol so he could try to forget the image of his lover dying in his arms. He had basically spent the past few months bumming around the planets, both Draxus Minor and the planets around it. He didn't really have any desire to do more than be a bum, at least for the moment. He couldn't go back to his old life of being a con man and he had no desire to form another team like Torchwood or go back to the one he left behind. He was just content for the moment to park his ass on a bar stool and swig lager after lager until he could barely see.

He had just started on his first lager when he lowered the mug and saw an all too familiar face staring at him from across the way. He groaned and muttered a curse at the Doctor. Here was another man who stirred up passionate emotions inside him and yet, he was unattainable which frustrated Jack even more. He wished just for once the Doctor would agree to come back with him to his dingy flat and engage in some rough sex so he could finally know what it was like to shag a Time Lord. He eyed the Time Lord when he came around the bar towards him.

"If you're trying to set me up with another man, I'm not interested," he said when he was in earshot, "Alonzo didn't work out."

"Sorry to hear that. I'm not the Doctor though," John Smith said. "And before you say anything, I'm not the clone that was with him in the Crucible. I do, however, need your help."

"Sorry, not interested in helping anyone anymore," Jack said before he took another swig of lager.

"Rose is with me," John Smith said.

"So? Go shag her then," Jack said with a shrug.

"No, she wants to see you, she missed you," John said, annoyed.

"Well, I'm sorry but I'm not in the mood to see her or anyone else."

"What would you say if I told you the Beatles were traveling with me?"

Jack paused in mid-swallow. He swallowed the lager in his mouth and lowered the mug.

"The rock and roll band?" he said in disbelief.

"The very same," John Smith said.

"You got the Beatles to be your companions?" Jack said.

"I did. Would you like to meet them?'

Jack considered that for a moment and decided that meeting the Beatles in person was too good to pass up. He downed the rest of his lager, paid Tom and waved goodbye to him while he followed John Smith to the door.

Once inside the TARDIS, Jack was in awe when the Beatles came up and introduced themselves. He accepted hugs from Sarah Jane and Rose and eyed Amy and Rory appreciatively before shaking their hands. John Smith took the TARDIS into the vortex which shocked Jack.

"Wait, where are we going?" he said, glancing back at the closed door in alarm.

"We are going to help our friends," John Smith said. "And that includes the Doctor. They're in trouble and we need your help."

"Yeah…but…"

Jack started to protest and demand that they take him back but he glanced at Sarah Jane and saw the warm smile on her face. For the first time in months a genuine smile spread over Jack's face and while John Smith headed for Francine's house, he listened while everyone explained the situation to him.

Francine put the silver tea tray down on the coffee table while Martha and Mickey sat on the sofa. She grabbed her cup of tea while her daughter and son-in-law fixed theirs.

"So…how have you been?" Francine asked.

Martha hesitated. Since they had gone freelance they had gotten in a couple of perilous situations that nearly cost them their lives but she never told her mother about how close to death they came, preferring to sanitize everything and make it seem like they were defeating aliens and monsters without breaking a sweat. She didn't think Francine believed it but she liked to think her mother was trusting enough that she brought her story at face value.

"We're fine. We haven't done anything lately," Martha replied, which was the truth since both of them decided to take a holiday and rest. "We're just havin' a little R and R."

"That's good. You know that I don't like you going out on your own and fighting those creatures by yourself, not without UNIT backing you up," Francine said.

Martha groaned inwardly. Her mother always brought this up. Ever since she quit UNIT, her mother went on and on about what a huge mistake it had been, giving up the protection of the UNIT troops when actually Martha felt they had always been a hindrance to her and Mickey. She couldn't count the number of times she watched young men and women get wounded and killed because they were inexperienced at fighting aliens. She and Mickey finally decided it was better that they risk their own necks instead of others. But her mother still thought she and Mickey weren't able to defend themselves and so it had gotten to the point where Martha dreaded coming over because she knew her mother would start in on going solo.

"Mum, we're fine, honestly," Martha said. "We don't take on more than we can handle."

Another lie but her mother didn't need to know about all the requests for help they'd accepted and how many more were on hold now, waiting until they returned from their well-deserved holiday. Martha started to tell her something else when to her relief, her mobile rang. She checked it and smiled when she saw the call was coming from Jack. She excused herself as she got up and answered the phone.

"Hey, cutie, you and Mickey Mouse free tonight? I have some people I want you to meet," Jack said to her.

"Oh my God," Martha said when the Beatles stepped outside the TARDIS with everyone else, "I don't believe this. I'm a huge fan of you guys!"

The Beatles came up and introduced themselves to her, Mickey and Francine who was also in shock at seeing them. Once that was done, they introduced Amy, Rory, the teens and Pepa before John Smith asked if they could talk. Francine beckoned for them to come inside and make themselves comfortable. Once they were inside, everyone went through the same story they had told Sarah Jane, the teens and Jack.

When they finally finished about an hour later, Martha, Mickey and Francine were stunned. Finally, Martha spoke.

"If the Doctor and the others are in trouble, you can count on me to help," she said.

"And me," Mickey replied.

"Great. We need all the help we can get, especially since I think we're going to be headed to the Diablon's home world in order to get them back," John Smith said. "I normally wouldn't ask this of you, but we really do need as many people as we can to help."

"Say no more, I'm on board," Martha said while Mickey nodded in agreement. "I'm just glad you explained about the Doctor regenerating. He saved us that day and Mickey and I wondered why he didn't come and say hello. He just walked off without saying a word. Now we know why."

"So, is there anyone left we need to get then?" Mickey said.

"Yeah," John Smith said, rubbing the back of his neck, "we need one more person and it'll take a bit of convincing to get her to come with us."


	41. Chapter 41

Chapter Forty One

Sylvia Noble got out of her car and grabbed the sack of groceries that had been sitting in the seat beside her. She held it to her chest as she walked to the front door and then set it down long enough for her to open it. She picked it back up and walked by Wilf who was watching the news.

"Can you get the door for me, Dad?" she asked him.

Wilf nodded and with a groan got up from his chair and went to close it. He started to go back to his seat when he paused and had a thought. He headed for Donna's room. He knew his granddaughter was in there, laying on her bed reading. She had gotten a job as a temp secretary and this was her day off. He walked to her door which was slightly ajar and opened it. He smiled when he saw Donna laying there, her attention riveted to the book she was reading.

"Whatcha readin', love?" he asked fondly.

Donna lowered the book and smiled at him.

"Some soppy romance novel that you wouldn't be interested in," she said.

"Oh, I don't know about that. I like soppy romances," Wilf teased while Donna chuckled. "You wanna go out with me tonight and do a bit of stargazin'? New moon out so we should be able to see lots of stars."

Wilf realized he said the wrong thing when that familiar wistful look she got from time to time passed over her face. But it came and went in a heartbeat and she smiled and nodded at him. Wilf thought for a moment and then had a great idea.

"You know what? I think we should have a barbecue tonight. Eat a few burgers and some chips while we stargaze, how's that sound?"

Donna laughed.

"Sounds good, granddad," she said fondly.

"I'll just go round to the shops then and get some mince meat and chips for tonight. I…"

Donna frowned when Wilf got an odd look on his face. It took her a moment to realize that she heard a distant wheezing sound like someone was asthmatic.

"Um…I'll be back, love, gotta go check something," Wilf said evasively.

Donna nodded and stared at him in confusion as he hurried off. As he was heading to the front door, Sylvia came out of the kitchen.

"Isn't that…"

"Shush," Wilf said, pointing back to Donna's bedroom while he hurried to the front door.

He opened the door and quickly shut it again when he saw the TARDIS on the other side of the street. A grin spread over his face as John Smith and the others stepped outside.

"Now see, you're still in one piece," Wilf said, walking towards John Smith, "you were worried about that radiation killin' ya and it was all for nothing."

"Actually, the radiation did kill the Doctor. I'm not him," John Smith said.

Wilf's face fell.

"Who are ya then?" he asked.

"Well, it's a long story but…we're here to get Donna. I have a friend here who I think can restore her mind so she won't be in danger of dying any longer," John Smith said. "The trick is we have to get her out here safely without a repeat of what happened with the duplicate Masters."

"Are you sure you aren't the Doctor? You have his memories," Wilf said.

"I do. I'm a human version of him but I have all his memories," John Smith said.

"Oh. Okay. Well, I can try to talk her into coming out here."

"Actually," Paul said. "I have an idea. Is your daughter a Beatles fan?"

Donna read her book, her left foot jerking lazily back and forth while she relaxed. She was so engrossed in it that she didn't see her door opening until the strange man stuck his head inside. Paul grimaced when she yelled in alarm.

"Um…sorry about that, had no idea you were reading," he said sheepishly.

"Who the hell are you?" Donna said, sitting up on her bed and swinging her legs over the edge.

"I'm Paul McCartney, you must be Donna," he said, extending his hand to her.

Donna gave him a dubious look.

"Paul McCartney…as in the Beatles?"

"Yup, that's me."

"Paul McCartney who's pushing seventy now?" Donna said, staring at his youthful face.

"I've had face lifts, heaps of em," Paul said.

"Yeah, right, pull the other one," Donna said, lying back down. "Look, buddy, I love the Beatles but I don't fancy the impersonators. Now who paid you to do this? Granddad?"

"Impersonator?" Paul said with a frown. "No, I'm the real deal."

"Yeah, sure you are, junior, now will you leave me alone? I want to read my book in peace."

She sighed angrily when Paul came further into the room.

"Look, mate, I'm not interested in your rendition of Yesterday. Why don't you go down the pub and hang out with the Elvis impersonator and leave me the hell alone? I…"

She fell silent when the other three Beatles entered the room.

"Oh, so it's the whole bleedin' fake band. Cute. Now will you leave. I'm not interested in ya."

"But we have something to show you," John said.

"What? The Yoko Ono impersonator or the Linda McCartney one? For the last time, I'm not interested and…"

She fell silent again when John Smith stuck his head around the doorway and winked at her. Donna stared at him for a moment in silence and the Beatles noticed there was confusion on her face that seemed to be warring with comprehension.

"What the hell is going on here?" she muttered as she got up from the bed.

The Beatles gave each other a look and followed her out. She walked into the living room and froze when she saw her mother, grandfather and a bunch of people that she didn't know and yet as the same time…

She looked at Rose who smiled warmly at her. Donna's eyes were riveted to her as she tried to remember where she'd seen the young blonde before. She looked at Wilf.

"What is this, a joke?" she said to him. "Who are all these people?"

"We are your forgotten past," Jack said. "Well, most of us anyway."

"Forgotten past, what are you…"

Donna trailed off when she got a suddenly flash of memory of her hugging the strange man. She shook her head, her heart racing as she suddenly became afraid.

"Granddad, what's going on here?" she said to him.

"These people want to help you, sweetheart. They want to heal you."

"Heal me? I'm not sick," Donna said desperately. "What do you mean, heal me?"

"Come with us, Donna, and find out," Rose said. "We won't hurt you, we want to give you back what you lost."

"I haven't lost anything," Donna said half-heartedly. "I don't even know who you are."

"I think you do," Rose said. "I think you know me deep down inside. I think you know most of us."

"You've been confused these past few months, haven't you, Donna?" John Smith said. "We can help clear up that confusion."

"How?" Donna said warily.

"Just follow us and we'll help you to remember what you've forgotten," John Smith replied.

Donna stared at them. For a moment, she thought all of them were crackers but somehow she knew they were telling the truth and a deep feeling of trust came over her. She began trembling without knowing why and Wilf came forward to take her hand.

"They mean what they say, sweetheart. They're going to help you get back what was taken from you."

Donna stared at him for a moment and then she gazed around the room.

"Mum?" she said hesitantly. "Are these people telling me the truth?"

"Yes, love, they are," Sylvia said. "They can help you. You've been depressed these past few months and haven't really understood why. They can help you remember the reason why."

Donna thought about that for a moment. She looked at these people who seemed so familiar, even though she didn't know their names. Her eyes fell on John Smith and she felt tears well up in her eyes and she burst into tears which frightened her since she had no idea why she was crying. But she realized after a moment that they weren't tears of sorrow but tears of joy she was crying. Wilf took her hand and put his arm around her and Donna let him lead her as they followed the others out the door towards something she couldn't quit name but she knew it was out there and it filled her with indescribable joy.


	42. Chapter 42

Chapter Forty Two

Before they took Donna outside, Jack pulled out a long black piece of cloth and blindfolded her with it.

"Wait, what's this?" Donna said, panicking.

"Merely, a precaution, trust us, Donna," John Smith said. "We're not gonna hurt you, I promise."

"Okay then what's the ruddy blindfold for?" Donna said, turning her head towards him.

"A precaution," John Smith.

"Just trust them, sweetie," Wilf said, taking her hand. "I'll stay with you."

"Who are these people, Granddad? Why do they seem so familiar?" Donna said, turning her head towards him.

"You'll find out soon. Just trust them."

Donna fell silent and let her grandfather lead her outside. Sylvia came outside and watched while they led her across the street to the TARDIS. John Smith opened the door and everyone went inside. Wilf blinked in surprise when he crossed the threshold.

"You changed the interior," he said, looking around while he led Donna towards the back.

"What interior? What are you on about?" Donna asked. "Where are we?"

"Um, just a moment, sweetheart. Just keep walking," Wilf said.

Donna let out a frustrated sigh but kept on walking. The TARDIS rearranged the rooms once she sensed John Smith's intentions and put the med bay directly in front of them. They led Donna inside the room and Wilf urged her to get on a padded table while John Smith conferred with Pepa and asked him what he needed. Pepa gave him a list of things he needed and to John Smith's relief, he had everything he needed. He instructed a few of his companions to help him while Pepa instructed Wilf to take off the blindfold. Once it was off, Donna blinked and did a double take when she saw the alien.

"What the hell happened to you?" she asked him.

"What do you mean?" Pepa asked.

"You don't look like a proper human, that's what I mean."

"I'm not human, Donna," Pepa said.

Donna's eyes boggled. She looked at Wilf, fear in her eyes.

"Granddad, what is this?" she said to him.

"Don't worry, sweetie, they won't hurt you. They're going to help you."

Donna looked at John Smith when he came up beside her and he smiled fondly at her. Donna felt a smile spread over her face and that familiar feeling of trust returned. Somehow, she knew that this man would be able to help her and she kept silent while she watched Pepa prepare an IV solution that would knock her out. She looked over at the strange group of people standing nearby and saw the warm, loving smiles on their faces and she was comforted further by that. Pepa came over with John Smith and they warned her about the IV. Donna looked at it and Wilf gave her a comforting pat on the shoulder while she relaxed and let them insert the needle into her arm. She winced at the slight pain and then watched while they started the drip.

"Nice to see you so calm, Donna," John Smith said to her.

"I know. I don't know why but I just know that you'll help me. I'm not really sure what you'll help me with but I know you're telling the truth."

"Good, because I am. Trust me, when you wake, you'll feel like a million pounds and everything will become clear," John Smith said.

They watched while Donna's eyes fluttered and she fell into a deep sleep. Once she was asleep, John Smith beckoned to Martha.

"This is Martha, she's a doctor," he said to Pepa while Martha came to his side.

"Good, we need your help," Pepa said.

Martha nodded and John Smith asked the others to go back to the ship and get the humans and bring them into the TARDIS where they'd be more comfortable. He also asked them to carry William to a room and make him comfortable in a bed while he decided what to do with him.

"But don't hurt him," John Smith warned. "Just because he's unconscious doesn't mean you can torture him for shits and giggles, is that understood?"

Everyone nodded. John Smith asked the TARDIS to guide them back to the ship and they left the med bay while Pepa, Martha and John Smith worked on Donna and Wilf sat down in a nearby chair to wait. The others went back into the ship and went down into the sleeping quarters where Lila and the other humans were lying on the beds and the floors.

"Follow us," Paul said, "we have better accommodations for all of you with a bed for each of you."

They got up and followed Amy and Rose who went back up the ladder. The others gathered around William who was still sleeping on the bed by the ladder.

"This man impersonated you?" Sarah Jane said to Paul.

"Not me, their Paul," he said, gesturing to the Beatles. "My Bill isn't evil."

Luke, Clyde and Rani came up beside Sarah Jane. They looked at William and then looked at Paul.

"I don't understand," Luke said, "he doesn't look exactly like you. His face is longer and thinner and his eyes are closer together. How did people mistake him for you?"

Paul shrugged.

"Some people aren't very observant, I suppose," he said.

"Yeah, we wondered the same thing,"John said. "But I think the plan was to give this man a total face overhaul and do heaps of plastic surgery until he looked like Paulie."

"Ugh, why would you subject yourself to that?" Rani said, shaking her head.

"I think he was brainwashed from birth to assume that role," Paul said as Jack picked him up and slung him over his shoulder. "If not me, someone they wanted to control."

"And that's why these Diablon things have to be stopped," Sarah Jane said.

"Exactly," Paul said.

Jack carried him up the ladder and the others followed him. They left the ship with the humans following them and Paul closed up the ramp. The TARDIS immediately moved the corridor with the guest rooms in front of them and everyone directed the humans to choose furnished rooms. They waited until the humans were settled in the rooms before they put William in one. They turned him on his side and made sure he was comfortable before they went out. Immediately, the TARDIS sealed up the door and replaced it with a wall in case he awoke and tried to escape. They headed on to the kitchen and fixed some tea while the old team got acquainted with the new. They were chatting and laughing while they drank tea when John Smith and Martha came into the room, huge smiles on their faces.

"Did it work?" Jack said.

They stepped aside and Donna entered with Wilf.

"Okay, I'm gonna be a part of this daft rescue mission because I want to give the Doctor a knuckle sandwich for taking away my memories," she said.

She smiled when everyone cheered and embraced her.

"Well, at least I know who all of you are now," Donna said, looking around at them.

"It's good to have you back," Jack said, hugging her. "We couldn't leave you behind, fellow Child of Time."

"You what?" John said.

"One of the Doctor's foes referred to us as the Children of Time. I figure that's a good a name for our group as any," Jack said to him.

"I like it," Clyde said. "I wouldn't mind being known as a child of time."

"Yeah, it's got a nice ring to it," Paul said.

Donna walked over to him.

"Okay, now that I have my memories back. I'm assuming you're the real thing and not a Beatles impersonator?" she said to him.

"Yes, I am and what the hell is an impersonator?"

"There are people in the future who form Beatles tribute bands and they play your music and sometimes they dress up like you," Rose said. "There are also Elvis impersonators that do the same thing."

"Oh blimey, now I've heard everything," John said, rolling his eyes. "Some of these Beatles fans scare the hell outta me with their devotion to us."

After they got done hugging Donna, she and Wilf fixed some tea. Once they were done, they sat down and everyone had a war council in order to decide what to do.

"So, any thoughts," Jack said.

"I think the Diablons went back to their home planet," John Smith said. "In order to find out where though, we may have to interrogate our prisoners."

"You mean the big ugly red creatures in the force fields?" Mickey said.

"Yup," John Smith replied. "Diablos is a large planet and we need their help to find out where to go. Otherwise, we'll be searching all over the planet and by that time, the troops will be after us. That is supposing they did go back home, of course. They may have went somewhere else."

"And that means we'd still have to interrogate the captives," Martha said.

"Yup, I believe it'll probably hinge on them and how cooperative they are. Now there is truth serum we can use if they're less than forthcoming about where their friends went. Course they might not know but I'm willing to bet that they arranged an escape plan just in case something went wrong. The Diablons would have been fools not to do that."

"I have a question," Donna said.

"Yeah?" John Smith replied.

"Okay, if the Doctor regenerated, what does he look like so those of us who have just joined up know what to look for?"

There was a flash and the TARDIS projected a 3D full length hologram of the Doctor into their midst. The new members of the team walked over and stared at him.

"He's younger," Martha said, staring at his face.

"Yeah," Mickey said, looking at John Smith, "is that something that happens? The more you regenerate, the younger you get? Because when Rose and I first met him, he was much older than this."

"Yeah, I was thinking that as well," Rose said. "He kept getting younger and younger."

"It doesn't always work that way," John Smith said with a shrug. "He started out aging like a normal human would which is what you do on your first life and he ended up a fairly old man before he regenerated and his ages have varied over the centuries. It's only recently that he's gotten younger with each new life."

"He's not bad looking, but the clothes…the man chooses the weirdest outfits," Jack murmured staring at his tweed jacket.

The hologram suddenly switched and they stared at the Doctor's sixth life.

"When the hell was this?" Martha said, pointing to it while John Smith gave a look of death to the ceiling.

"That was his sixth life," John Smith said sheepishly.

He eyed his companions when all of them snickered.

"Then again, the Doctor looks downright chic compared to this," Jack said, pointing to the multicolored coat.

"He looked like he could use a diet."

"Oi!" John Smith said to Sarah Jane while everyone laughed.

"Well, she's right, he was a bit chunky," Rose said while everyone giggled.

"His outfit kinda reminds me of the things I'd see when I was taking acid trips," John said. "I used to see colorful clothes like that on people when I was high on acid."

John Smith rolled his eyes when everyone laughed.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand please?" he said while everyone laughed harder.


	43. Chapter 43

Chapter Forty Three

After John Smith went back to his lab, he got some truth serum, filled several syringes, capped the needles with a plastic cap and put them in his pocket. The others were watching him and he nodded to them before all of them turned and walked out.

"Right, let's go see if Big Red and his friends will be cooperative," John Smith said while his companions followed him back towards Pepa's ship.

While they were walking, Jack sensed someone behind him. He turned and saw Lila was following them.

"Don't look now, gang, but we have company," he said to everyone.

Everyone turned and stopped to look at Lila. John Smith walked up to her.

"Did you need something?" he asked.

"I just wanted to know what you're doing," she replied.

"Well, we're going to ask those red creatures some questions so we can get our friends back," the Doctor replied.

"Can I come with you?" she asked.

John Smith shrugged.

"I don't mind," he said. "Just let us handle it, okay?"

Lila nodded and John Smith patted her on the shoulder before he turned around and everyone followed him to the ship. They let the ramp down and everyone walked up into the ship. The Diablons were glaring at them while John Smith went over to Nanth.

"Right, we want to know where your friends have taken our friends," John Smith said, folding his arms over his chest. "I'm giving you a chance to cooperate before I use truth serum on you, so it's your choice."

"You can use all the truth serum you have on me, I'll never talk," Nanth said with a sneer. "Your friends are as good as dead now and if they aren't dead, they're all brainwashed slaves so you might as well count your blessings and run away while it's still possible."

"Listen here, buddy," Jack said, "you might think you're big and tough and we're just a bunch of puny humans and aliens but be warned, we were trained by the greatest Time Lord that ever lived."

Nanth threw back his head and laughed along with the others.

"Are you speaking of the Time Lord that is now the captive of the Diablon Empire, human? If so, I would think about how great the git really is. He's just like any other Time Lord. They think they're all great until they find themselves brainwashed slaves of our people."

"Funny, I seem to recall that the number of brainwashed Time Lord slaves was precisely…zero," John Smith said smugly. "Our people never lost a single Time Lord; you on the other hand were hunted and killed until you were nearly extinct. So before you boast, get your facts straight."

"Ah, but you are mistaken, we did capture and enslave Time Lords. Perhaps your people should stop lying when they write your history books," Nanth said smugly.

"Whatever. That's not the point. The point is you're going to tell us what we want to know, voluntary or involuntary."

"Go ahead, I'm not afraid of you," Nanth said while his friends sniggered.

John Smith turned to Pepa.

"Do you have any knockout gas that you can pump into their prisons?" he asked him.

"What's wrong, Time Lord? Too scared to fight me. You have to pump gas in here first before you deal with me."

"Yes, I'm a raving coward. Anyway, do you?" he said to Pepa.

"Yes, I can pump knockout gas in there."

"Do it," John Smith said.

"You won't get away with this, Time Lord!" Nanth snarled while the others shouted curses at him.

John Smith gave him an amused look.

"Oh, I see, bravado gone now?" he said while Nanth glowered at him. "Calling your bluff, am I? I suppose that means you will talk to me if I use the truth serum."

"My people will destroy you, all of you!" he screamed at them.

They yelled when black gas came up through the floor in all their prisons. Nanth and the others pounded on the sides of the force field until the gas overwhelmed them and they slumped to the floor, unconscious. After Pepa reversed the gas, he let down the force field long enough for them to drag Nanth out. They dragged him to a spot several feet from the prison while Pepa raised the force field back up on his associate. John Smith reached into his pocket, pulled out a syringe and gave him a dose in his arm. Everyone then helped John Smith and Pepa carry them to the lab where they strapped him down on a table. Everyone except John Smith and Pepa stepped back while both men slowly brought him around so they could talk to him. While they were waiting, the women began to chat with Amy, trading stories of traveling with the Doctor while Jack and Mickey talked to Rory and the teens talked amongst themselves. Paul hung back for a moment marveling at all of the new people that had just joined them. These people who had at one time or another been blessed with the Doctor visiting them and asking them to join him while he traveled through time and space. All of them came from different walks of life but all of them were dedicated to fighting evil and it warmed his heart knowing that people still cared enough to fight tyranny and injustice in the universe. He glanced at the teens. All of them were so young but when he thought about it, Jane would turn 20 this year and he had met her when she was 17. She wasn't much older than they were and she was helping the Doctor as well. And Sarah Jane…she looked like she was in her fifties now. Paul wondered how long she'd been traveling with the Doctor.

His attention turned towards Nanth when Pepa and John Smith got him to wake up. Nanth's eyes were glazed over and he spoke in a slurred voice but he answered both men's questions without hesitation, telling them where the other Diablons most likely took their friends and family members. To their relief, the drugged alien was giving them precise directions to Mex's lair where they were supposed to take any humans they found back for experimentation. Paul flinched at that as he thought of Jane, Bill and Michelle being dissected and experimented on. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw Sarah Jane looking at him.

"I can tell what you're thinking," she said. "It's okay; we'll get them back before anything happens to them."

"I just wish we knew what was happening," Paul said to her. "They're wearing communicators but so far we haven't heard a word from them. That's what terrifies me. That maybe he found the communicators and destroyed them and they're dead by now."

"You can't think like that, Paul. Traveling with the Doctor taught me that miracles are possible as well as last minute rescues. You have to think positive and know that everyone will be found alive and well when we go to the Diablon's home world."

"How long have you been traveling with the Doctor, if you don't mind my asking. I mean, no offense, but…"

"I'm old?" she said while Jack who was right behind her chuckled.

"Hey, I'm older than she is," Jack said, looking over his shoulder. "She's a spring chicken compared to me. I'm thousands of years old."

Paul's eyes bugged out.

"Blimey, you people have to tell me how you look so young after living thousands of years," he said while they laughed.

"My secret is Blondie over here made me immortal," Jack said, tapping her on the top of the head.

Martha and Donna laughed when Rose stopped talking to them and slowly turned to face Jack who was still tapping her on the head.

"What? You did make me immortal," Jack said, continuing to tap her head.

"You don't stop that bloody tap, tap, tap on the top of my head, I'll find a way to become the Bad Wolf again and incinerate ya," she said.

"Nah," Jack said, walking over to Donna and putting an arm around her shoulder, "Ginger will protect me from ya, won't ya, Ginger?"

Slowly and deliberately, Donna took his hand and shoved his arm off her body. Jack shrugged and walked over to Martha.

"Fine, Miss Jones will protect me, won't ya?"

"No."

Jack frowned for a moment while the girls laughed.

"Aha, I see, it's intergalactic opposite day so anything you say means the opposite of what you said," Jack said.

"Yeah, if you say so, Jack," Martha muttered. "Be careful of him, Paul, he's a flirt and he loves the cute guys."

"Yes, I've always been a Beatles fan ever since I discovered your music while living here on Earth," Jack said to them. "I'm originally from the Boeshane Peninsula and sadly, they don't know you there."

"So, you're not human either?" George said as the Beatles came up beside Paul.

"Yeah, I am. But my ancestors emigrated from Earth centuries before I was born so I really can't consider myself an Earthling but…like the Doctor, I came to love this planet and I made it my mission to protect it until…"

"Until…" Martha prompted.

Jack sighed and told them briefly what happened to him, Ianto, his grandson and why he had to leave. Martha listened in stunned silence.

"Ianto's dead?" she said in disbelief.

Jack swallowed hard and nodded while Martha squeezed his hand. Donna came up beside him.

"Was he the bloke that was with you when we were doing the outer space Facebook that day?" she said.

"Yeah, that was Yan," Jack said.

"But you just left your team behind and didn't tell them where you were going?" Sarah Jane asked.

Jack shook his head and Martha raised her eyebrow.

"Um…don't you think you better let them know you're alive, Jack?" she said. "I'm sure Gwen and Rhys are worried about you."

"I thought it better just to leave and never look back," Jack said. "I can't be with them anymore, not with memories of Yan there."

"I'm not asking you to go back. I'm asking you to let them know you're alive. I have my mobile with me if you want to call them before we go back over," Martha said, fishing in her pocket for it. "Just ring Gwen and let her know you're okay. Please? For me?"

Jack hesitated for a moment, staring at the mobile in her outstretched hand before he nodded and took it from her. He went towards the back of the ship for some privacy while Martha shook her head.

"If I'd known, I would have at least kept in contact with Gwen and Rhys but he never said a word to me about this," Martha said to the others.

"Yeah, but I know he sometimes goes off on his own," Rose said to her, "he was on his own so long that he thinks it's okay to just swan off without letting anyone know where he's going."

Paul and the others listened quietly. Paul was fascinated by all of it, once more in awe that he was getting to meet more of the Doctor's companions and listen to their stories. He felt arms wrap around his neck and he groaned when Amy put her head on his shoulder.

"You again, the bane of my bloody existence," he said while the women laughed.

"Yup, I will haunt you until your dying day!" Amy declared while Paul let out another groan. "You doin' okay, Bro?"

"As well as can be expected, considering my wife, brother and friends are missing," he said to her.

"Nah, we'll get them back," Amy said. "I trust you and this lot back here not to cock it up when we go to rescue them."

She giggled when Paul raised his eyebrow and glanced back at the other Beatles who were eyeing her.

"John," Paul said while Amy snickered. "Did you ever get in a fight with Otto when we played at the Star Club?"

"Otto? The huge bulky guy who threatened me with a broken bottle before I kicked his ribcage into powered dust?"

"Yeah, that's the bloke," Paul said while everyone around them laughed. "Amy here seems to forget you can fight and fight dirty."

"Aye, I can kick your head off your shoulders like a football if I have half a mind to do it," John said airly.

"Yeah, well, I have the power to make things appear and disappear so watch it before I make you vanish into thin air, Lennon," Amy said.

"Bollocks, Pond, you do not have the power to make things appear and disappear," Paul said.

"Oh no? Ask John Smith when he gets done and he'll tell you what he knows about the Doctor's memories. See Rory, back there? He was an Auton, this plastic robot after he died in my arms, and I made him human again."

"What?" George said while Rory laughed. "What the hell is she on about, mate?"

"It's true," Rory said, coming up to them.

He briefly explained about being an Auton, his hand gun, shooting Amy and having to guard her while she was in the Pandorica. John shook his head when he finished his explanation.

"Who needs acid when you're around this lot?" he said while everyone laughed. "You make the acid trips I had look completely dull."

"So…you don't have this hand gun anymore then?" Paul asked him.

"No, unfortunately, the hand gun got taken away from me when I became human again. Trust me, I had the same thought," Rory said to him.

"I wouldn't mind having a hand gun," Clyde said as the teens stood behind Sarah Jane. "Scare Joshua with it when he starts acting high and mighty at school and…"

He shut up when Sarah Jane looked at him and raised his eyebrow.

"Course I wouldn't actually kill him," Clyde added while Rani and Luke laughed.

Sarah Jane looked at John Smith when he and Pepa came up to them.

"I think I have all the information I need," he said to them. "I'm gonna knock him out again and we're gonna put him in one of the cells here in the TARDIS. He gave us detailed directions to the Diablon's lair so I think Pepa and I can get us there."

"Good, let's get to it then," Martha said.

"I listened to your conversation as well," John Smith added. "I'm glad you got Jack to phone Gwen and let her know where he was. And Paul, just because we can't hear them doesn't mean they're dead or the communicators are disabled. We've crossed a void and I'm pretty sure the communicators don't work when we're in another universe. Just have faith, my friend, we'll get them back."

Paul nodded and he patted him on the shoulder.

"Right," John Smith said, "Let's send this red beauty back to Slumberland and get him in a holding cell and then we'll go and rescue the rest of our team."


	44. Chapter 44

Chapter Forty Four

The Doctor gasped and opened his eyes. He looked around and noticed that he was in the cryogenic chamber, except this time everyone had been roused from their suspended animation. He maneuvered himself so he was sitting on his rear end while his friends slowly did the same.

"Augh, what's going on, I have a whopper of a headache," Bill said, putting his hand over his head. "Where are we?"

"We're in a cryogenic chamber," the Doctor said.

"What's that?" Michelle asked.

"It means that they froze us and forced us to sleep," the Doctor replied.

He noticed the humans were beginning to panic and he quickly calmed and reassured them before everyone got to their feet. Bill looked around.

"Pepa's missing," he said to the Doctor.

"Yeah, I noticed. Perhaps they left him behind…at least I hope they just left him behind."

"You don't think they found the rest of our group, do you?" Jeremy asked.

"If they did, they put them somewhere else because I don't see them," the Doctor said.

The door opened and two large Diablons entered the room, throwing the Pepperland humans into a panic. The Doctor's group stood firm, even Michelle which pleased the Doctor since the other humans were now backing themselves up into the far wall and crowding together in a tight group as they stared at the demonic looking aliens fearfully. The Diablons chuckled at them and then turned their gazes towards the Doctor who stared at them calmly.

"Are you done frightening the humans now?" the Doctor said. "Because if you are, either explain what's going on or take us to your leader."

"You will come with us," one of the Diablons said to him.

"For what purpose?" the Doctor inquired innocently.

"For the purpose of being a captive and doing what we say," the Diablon said, getting in his face.

The Doctor grimaced at the smell of his bad breath.

"I would offer you a mint but I don't have one on my person at present," he said to the Diablon who snarled in response.

"Get a move on and get those humans under control!" he said, pointing to the ones cowering in the corner.

"Me? Isn't that your job?" the Doctor said.

He held up his hands when the Diablon threatened to coldcock him.

"Fine, I'll be the good little captive then," he said, walking over to the frightened humans.

He smiled warmly at them and spoke to them in calm soothing tones, fully aware that their captors were growing impatient and might resort to violence at any moment. Finally, the humans gained enough of his trust to move away from the wall and he led them back to his group. The Doctor did a little bow.

"No, don't thank me, I'm multitalented," he said to the Diablons.

Everyone froze except the Doctor when the Diablon raised his hand to backhand him across the face. His friend grabbed his arm.

"No, Mex wants them unharmed. Just let the fool run his gob, he'll be sorry soon enough," he said to the other Diablon.

The Diablon growled low in his throat and let his arm drop while the Doctor stared at him calmly.

"This way," he growled as he pointed back to the door.

"Follow me everyone," the Doctor said to the humans before he led them out the door.

Meanwhile, Pepa managed to fly the ship back to Pepperland after letting Wilf off at his house. Everyone except John Smith got out when the ship landed so he could move his TARDIS and land on the ship. The new people took a look around while they waited for John Smith to complete what he had to do.

"Blimey, it does look like the cartoon," Donna said, staring at the landscape. "I can't believe I'm actually standing in the middle of bleedin' Pepperland!"

"Are there any Blue Meanies around?" Clyde asked.

"No, I believe the Blue Meanies are the Diablons," Paul said to him.

They turned around when they heard the TARDIS wheezing and watched while she and the ship split apart. A moment later, there was another wheezing and the TARDIS went into the ship. Then a few minutes after that, John Smith lowered the ramp and came outside.

"All done, we now have the TARDIS inside the ship," John Smith said. "So whenever you lot are ready to leave…"

Everyone got on board the ship. Pepa sat down at the console and John Smith sat down beside him while everyone else prepared for takeoff. The captive Diablon were now awake and glaring at them. Jack pointed to them.

"You really need to put these guys in the TARDIS along with their friend before they get out," he said as they went past them.

He snorted when the Diablon screamed curses at them.

"I see their temperament hasn't improved," he said as he followed the others to the sleeping quarters.

They went down into the sleeping quarters and sat down on the beds, bracing themselves for what lay ahead. Paul sat with the other Beatles while the ship lifted off.

"So here we go again, off for more danger," George said as he sat back against the wall.

"Yeah, but you know what? It's been worth it," John said to him. "I haven't felt more alive in years. All the danger and excitement, kinda like when we were playing the manky clubs on the Reeperbahn and facing the Teds night after night. I'm actually looking forward to this."

"Then you can go first, mate."

John looked at George when he said that and a grin broke over his face when George winked at him. Paul smiled as John gave him a playful punch in the shoulder.

"So…I take it you'll going to become soldiers of fortune after we find you a place to go," Paul said to them.

John considered that.

"Would soldier of fortune include raping and pillaging?" he asked him.

"Um…I s'pose if you want to include that, yeah," Paul said while everyone laughed. "But I'm glad you feel young again after all this."

"Who says anything about feeling young? I'm an old geezer, I'm just an old geezer with a bit of excitement in his life," he teased Paul.

"Hey everyone, be quiet for a moment, I think I'm getting something in my communicator," Amy said, holding up her hand.

They listened and they heard faint static and then what sounded like the Doctor's voice.

"Oh, it's bout bloody time," Rory said. "Doctor, can you hear us?"

The Doctor walked with his companions while the other humans trailed along behind them. The Doctor sensed their fear and while he could understand why they were afraid, it still irritated him deep down inside. It was one of the main factors in choosing his companions; he wanted them to be both calm and relatively fearless when dealing with danger. He knew that whimpering and blubbering and groveling wouldn't help matters and might even make it worse for them. He knew the Diablons delighted in causing terror in their victims and he wished he could get this through the Pepperland human's minds. But he knew that he probably would be wasting his breath so he kept silent for the moment and turned his thoughts towards escape. He heard Bill talking softly to Michelle and he glanced at her. He could see she was nervous but unlike her fellow humans, she wasn't whimpering and crying. He figured part of that was due to her caveman nature and having to face danger on a daily basis. He figured there was no place for wimpy behavior when you were facing an enraged mammoth and scrounging for food in a life or death situation. It was because of this that the Doctor figured Michelle would survive even if the other humans didn't. He was happy that she and Bill found one another and even though he hated that his friend was a captive, at least he was here to protect her and keep her calm.

"What do you think they're going to do to us?"

The Doctor glanced at Bill when he spoke softly to him.

"Not sure, but don't say anything to them unless they ask you a question. I'll try to keep the attention focused on me. I can regenerate, no one else here can, and I don't want to lose any of you. But just keep an eye on Michelle and Jane, yeah?"

Bill looked back at Jane who was walking behind him and smiled.

"I keep finding myself in the position of being your protector," he said.

"I know. It's a bit annoying," Jane teased as she came up beside him. "I must owe you a billion debts now."

"Nah, just having you safe and sound is reward enough for me," Bill replied.

"My sentiments exactly," the Doctor said. "And Bill needs to keep you safe so you can grow old and open your cake shop."

"My what?" she said as the Doctor and Jeremy snickered. "Cake shop? What happened to my acting career?"

"Um…I think you still have a career but you also make cakes on the side," the Doctor said with a twinkle in his eyes.

"Me? I'm rubbish at baking," Jane said to Bill.

Bill shrugged.

"Maybe you get better at it?" he offered.

"Cake shop, now I've heard everything," Jane said, shaking her head.

"Be quiet!" the Diablon growled at them.

"What? We can't engage in cheerful, keep everyone calm banter to keep our spirits up?" the Doctor said.

Jeremy flinched. For a moment it looked like the Diablon might backhand him and take his head off with his massive hand but the Diablon merely grunted and turned his head towards the front, allowing the Doctor a moment of smug triumph.

Suddenly they heard Rory calling for the Doctor and their eyes widened. A delighted grin spread across the Doctor's face and he quickly pumped his fist in the air before he went back to looking casual.

"Yes, I'm here!" he said aloud.

The Diablon turned his head and gave him an odd look.

"Sorry, I like to orient myself from time to time so I can be sure of where I'm at," the Doctor said to him. "Nasty habit since I have to say it aloud."

The Diablon shook his head and turned back around. The Doctor stuck his tongue out at him.

"Are you alright?" Amy asked.

The Doctor turned to Jeremy and said in a conversational tone.

"I'm fine, just fine, we're all fine. How 'bout you?"

"I'm fine too," Jeremy said back to him, "just wondering where we're headed to."

"Dunno, s'pose we'll find out soon enough."

"We're coming to get you," John Smith said. "Not just us but we also managed to cure Donna, she's on board along with Sarah Jane, Jack, Clyde, Luke, Rani, Martha and Mickey. The Children of Time are coming to rescue you."

The Doctor and Jeremy stared at each other before delighted grins broke out on their faces. They turned their attention back to the front when the Diablons stopped by a door. They opened it and herded them inside.


	45. Chapter 45

Chapter Forty Five

After they entered the room, the Diablons make them kneel and they stood behind them, blocking their escape. The Doctor looked at their surroundings and looked at Bill.

"So…I s'pose this is the part where we meet our host for the evening," he said to him.

"I'm just glad they don't know me here. I got sick and tired of hearing that we must recapture the double and brainwash him again crap."

The Doctor smiled and patted his shoulder. He glanced at the Diablons and whispered something to Jeremy. Jeremy nodded and then the Doctor glanced up at the Diablons before he leaned over towards Bill, Jane and Michelle. He beckoned for them to get close and they put their heads together.

"I told Jeremy this," he said in a barely audible whisper, "I'm going to try to create a distraction when Mex comes in. If I'm successful, try to get these humans out of here and see if you can get to safety."

"What about you?" Jane whispered.

He smiled warmly at her.

"Don't worry about me, I've been in worse spots before," he whispered to her. "If I can create the distraction, I'll tell you when to move, just wait for my signal."

They nodded and the Doctor leaned back up and feigned innocence when one of the Diablons glanced back at him. He waved cheerfully at him and the Diablon rolled his eyes and turned his head back around. Then they looked over when Mex entered. Unlike his fellow Diablons, he had splotches of black on his red body and numerous battle scars crisscrossing his bare chest. The humans behind the Doctor and his companions whimpered with fear but the others stayed calm. Bill took Michelle's hand and whispered comforting things to her. To the Doctor's amusement, Michelle suddenly shut him up by putting her lips on his and giving him a firm kiss. The Doctor fought to keep from laughing when Jane looked at him and Jeremy and mouthed, "Oooo…" as they broke apart. They turned their attention to Mex when he looked them over.

"Doctor, stand," Mex ordered.

The Doctor stood up and squared his shoulders while the two Diablons walked by their leader and stood at the door, flanking it so they could keep an eye on everyone. Mex walked up to the Doctor and sneered at him while the Doctor gazed at him calmly.

"You have stolen something from us," Mex said.

The Doctor raised his eyebrow.

"I've stolen from you?" he said in disbelief. "If anyone's stealing anything around here, it's you lot!"

Mex pointed at Bill.

"He belongs to us, you have stolen him."

The Doctor looked at Bill as Bill's mouth dropped open.

"Okay, how did you come by that deduction?" the Doctor said to him.

"We scanned everyone when you were in cryostasis. This man has a genetic tag that belongs to the Diablon Empire. He is ours, thief!"

"Wait, what?" Bill said. "I have what?"

The Doctor groaned and looked at him.

"Genetic tag, I didn't think of that," he said to him. "Some people put a chemical into their slaves bloodstream that finds their DNA and places a genetic marker that can be detected by scans. It prevents thieving and fleeing. I forgot about that and didn't think to check because I had no idea the Diablons used genetic tags."

"You mean there's something inside me that still indicates I belong to them," Bill said in horror.

The Doctor gave him a sympathetic look and nodded.

"Yeah, it works like ear tags on cattle. It identifies you as a slave."

"And that's what he is," Mex said, pointing to him while Jeremy moved closer to Bill. "He is our property and you stole him!"

"Wrong!" the Doctor barked at him, "he was stolen from his home by your future selves and enslaved. I helped to free him and he's his own man now."

Mex threw back his head and laughed.

"So even though they don't know Bill they still know he was their slave?" the Doctor heard Paul say in his ear while Mex laughed.

"Who's a slave?" he heard Donna say in the distance and his hearts lurched at the sound of her voice. He suddenly missed her like crazy but he kept his emotions in check.

Mex started to move towards Bill and the Doctor started to move backwards towards him. But to his surprise, Michelle stepped in front of Bill and gave the Diablon a defiant look. The Doctor notice with some amusement that Mex seemed amazed at her defiance. Then the Doctor noticed Jane stepping in front of Bill, standing beside Michelle.

"Well, seems not all woman are intimidated by you, eh?" the Doctor said smugly, "see, I choose my companions well. The people I travel with are a special breed, fearless and intelligent and not easily intimidated by a demonic looking alien."

"Get out of the way or suffer," Mex growled at the Doctor. "That human is ours and we will kill anyone that stands in his way including you and your so-called companions."

Jeremy glanced at the Doctor and saw he wasn't about to back down and neither would Michelle or Jane. All of them were shielding Bill from the Diablon. Jeremy listened to his mind for a moment. Despite his human side, he could feel the Doctor in his mind and knew he possessed the telepathic link that all Time Lords have.

_Doctor, can you hear me?_ He thought as he kept his eyes on him.

The Doctor's eyes widened in surprise for a second and then a slight smile spread on his face.

_Blimey, haven't felt another mind in my own for donkey's years, feels good. Nice to know you can do this, _he thought back.

_I know a way to help you and make amends for my sin of genocide,_ he thought.

The Doctor sighed.

_Listen, Jeremy, you meant well. You were only trying to help,_ he thought to him. _I understand that now and I acted rashly when I made you go to the parallel world. If anyone should be making amends, it's me._

"I'm warning you, Time Lord. You and your humans stand down or suffer the consequences," Mex growled at the Doctor.

_Rose belongs to you,_ Jeremy thought sadly, _she always has. Take her back and keep her safe and loved for the rest of her life. Tell her I loved her with all my human heart and soul. _

The Doctor frowned and gave him a quizzical look.

_What are you doing?_ The Doctor thought to him, his hearts racing when he saw the sad look on his face.

_Goodbye, my brother,_ Jeremy thought back to him.

_Jeremy, no, whatever you're planning…_

The Doctor saw a split second of determination on Jeremy's face before he suddenly sprinted up and around the startled Mex. He lunged at the Diablon on the right side of the door, shoving him hard into the button that opened the door. He did a sideways kick into the other Diablon's face and everyone watch as he ran out the door.

"After him!" Mex screamed at his stunned minions.

The two Diablons recovered from their shock and raced out the door. Mex looked back and grunted when the Doctor hit him as hard as he could in the face.

"If he dies, so do you!" the Doctor roared at him.

Mex bellowed with anger and tried to hit him but Bill, Michelle and Jane ran up to the Doctor's side and started to punch and kick at him. The other humans glanced at each other and as one, they raced over to help. Mex fought back, trying to grab at Bill so he could run off with him. The Doctor saw what he was trying to do and warned Bill to be careful before he kicked Mex hard in the left knee. Mex howled with pain and clutched his knee. He roared with anger and reared up, his fist raised high, ready to rain down on the Doctor's head. Then suddenly a klaxon rang out and everyone froze.

"Alert! Alert!" they heard a voice say on the intercom in the hallway, "intruders attacking. The Doctor's humans are attacking!"

The Doctor let out a triumphant laugh as Mex let out another roar of frustration.

"We'll settle this later, Time Lord! Once I finish off the Halfling and your friends!"

Mex let out a yell and barreled into his tormentors, knocking them backwards. He ran out the door while the Doctor and the others tried to pursue him. Mex managed to get outside and the door slid down before anyone. The Doctor tried the button and let out a yell of frustration when he knew that Mex had managed to lock it. He and the others stepped back from the door.

"Now what do we do?" Jane said to him.

"We hope that Pepa and the others know what they're doing and that Jeremy stays alive long enough to get back to the ship," he said.


	46. Chapter 46

Chapter Forty Six

"Yes! Beatles to battle!" John crowed.

He and the others were standing behind John Smith and Pepa's seats while they attacked the Diablon's city. Pepa was using plasma rays to inflict damage and so far they had managed to take out a sentry tower as well as make a few holes in the buildings. They had heard some commotion through their ear pieces while they were attacking and they asked the Doctor what was going on.

"Well, we've been locked in and it's a deadlock seal," the Doctor said. "Well, most of us have been locked in, Jeremy ran out before they sealed us in."

He told them about the genetic marker in Bill's DNA before he told them what Jeremy had done.

"I think it's a suicide mission," the Doctor said sadly. "He told me goodbye and to take Rose back and look after her."

Everyone glanced at one another and looked back at Rose who was standing at the back of the crowd, her face stricken. Then she became angry.

"Jeremy?" she said aloud. "Jeremy, where are you? Answer me!"

Jeremy managed to find an unlocked door. He went in and noticed with some bemusement that it was a woman's bedroom. The wooden double bed had a pink eiderdown on it and there were pink shades on the lamps as well as a pink rug at the foot of the bed. He closed the door and locked it, pausing a moment to catch his breath.

"Jeremy? Jeremy, where are you? Answer me!"

He winced when he heard Rose's angry voice in his ear. As he was running, he vaguely heard the Doctor telling the others what had happened and he knew what Rose was angry about. His heart lurched when Rose called to him again, her voice breaking and he knew she was beginning to cry. He debated on whether he should answer since he wanted her to go back to the Doctor but he knew he owed her some sort of explanation. He was about to speak when he heard Rose say in a choked up voice.

"Jeremy, please…say something. Or if you can't speak, at least listen. I love you. I don't want the Doctor anymore. I want you. If I didn't want you, I would never have agreed to marry you. Please don't kill yourself, please!"

_For pity's sake, answer her if you can,_ the Doctor thought to him. _You hear how distraught she is? She wants you now, mate, not me! _

Jeremy sighed as he reconsidered his thought about how nice it was to have a mind link with his new brother.

"Rose," he spoke softly, "I'm sorry, I just thought that…if I could create a diversion, the others could get away."

"Yes, I understand, but I don't agree with you killing yourself. I don't want you to die. I've been worried sick about you and the last thing I want to hear is that you don't want to live anymore and I should run back to the Doctor. I love you, Jeremy, and if you die, I'm gonna fly this ship straight to Heaven and knock your teeth out of your head."

Jeremy couldn't help but smile when he heard the others laughing at that.

"Blimey, glad she isn't my wife," he heard John say.

"If you don't want her, I'll take her!"

"Shut up, McCartney!"

Jeremy smiled in spite of himself when he heard Paul and Rose's exchange.

"You hear that?" Rose said to him. "You don't get back here, Paul's gonna make a move so you better stay alive and get back here, you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear ya," he said.

"So…you will come back to me? No more of this suicide nonsense?" Rose said hopefully.

Jeremy felt his eyes mist over.

"Yeah, I'm coming back, Rose."

"Damn!"

"Shut up, McCartney," Rose said while Jeremy laughed.

"Seriously though," Paul said to him, "you have to come back to us. I haven't known you that long but you're my mate and I've seen enough death to last me a lifetime these past few months, I don't want to add you to the list. Besides, you need to have your wedding so we can see it."

"Okay, well, I'm in a bedroom so don't blast me to smithereens then," Jeremy said.

"I hate to ask, mate, since you found a place to hide but can you come back this way and let us out?" the Doctor asked him. "We're trapped and the door needs to be unlocked from the outside."

"I'm on my way and yes, I'll be careful. I won't make this a suicide mission," he said.

"You better not or I'll bring you back to life and kill you myself," Rose said.

"And then I'll comfort the grieving widow."

"SHUT UP, MCCARTNEY!" Rose yelled as the Beatles howled with laughter. "Honestly, you didn't seem like you were that annoying when I watched you on telly."

"He has an eye for the ladies," John said as Jeremy stood up and looked around the bedroom.

"Yeah, but Jane's the only one for me now. However, I do have to say something when I see a beautiful lady, especially one I could comfort after the death of her husband and…oh wait, Jane's listening in, oops"

Jeremy chuckled at that. He listened while Rose asked Jane how she put up with him while he looked for something to use as a weapon. He ran over to the lamp, took off the shade, unplugged it and wrapped the cord around the base. He studied it, figuring he could either bash someone on the head or wrap the cord around their throat. He told them he was heading to the door and smiled when Rose told him lovingly to be careful. For the first time since he was created, he felt that Rose truly loved him and wasn't in love with an image of the Doctor. It warmed his human heart and suddenly he felt he had a real reason to live and he knew that he couldn't let himself fall into the Diablon's hands. He had to survive this, both for himself and for her. He slowly opened the door, clutching the base of the lamp in his other hand while he checked to make sure the coast was clear. Seeing no one in the hallway, he slipped out, closed the door behind him and made his way back to the Doctor.

"So now, I s'pose we just wait for Jeremy to get here," the Doctor said to everyone while he leaned up against the wall.

"Doctor, this…genetic marker I have. You can get it out of me, can't you?" Bill asked.

"Yes, I have something that will go into you DNA and erase the marker they put there," he said to Bill. "I'm sorry, mate, I really should have checked. I just didn't think of it."

"It's okay, I'm just glad it's something scientific and these people don't have some sort of psychic vision that allows them to see through time," Bill replied.

"No. The only ones who are that powerful are people like the Black and White Guardians and the Eternals and I haven't seen any evidence of them since the Time War."

He noticed their confusion and smiled.

"I'll have to elaborate sometime when we're not in this mess," he said to them. "For now, we have to concentrate on getting out of her and…"

He heard someone outside the door and stepped away from the wall.

"Jeremy?" he said.

"Yeah," Jeremy said. "Wait a tic; I've just about got it."

The Doctor grinned when the door slid back and Jeremy was standing there, lamp in hand. Jeremy was taken aback when the Doctor ran up and embraced him.

"Don't ever talk about suicide ever again, you got it?" he said as he embraced his clone.

Jeremy smiled again and hugged him back.

"Yeah, I got it," he said.

The Doctor broke away from him and stared at the lamp in his hand.

"For defense, honestly," Jeremy said quickly.

"And like I said, we've gotten past the whole genocide thing so don't feel you have to clarify things like this," he said, pointing to the lamp. "I sussed out why you had it, mate, and I didn't think it was for killing. Now…now that we're all together, may I suggest we go meet up with the Yellow Submarine and get the hell outta here before all Hell really breaks loose!"


	47. Chapter 47

Chapter Forty Seven

The Doctor and the others went quietly down the hallway. The klaxon was still sounding and they could hear distant booms.

"I hope they know what they're doing and they don't drop a bomb on our heads while we're trying to escape," the Doctor said.

He gritted his teeth when he heard the other human's crying out in fear and he whipped around.

"Look," he said to the shocked humans, "I know you're scared and I understand that, I really do. But we're trying not to get recaptured here and I'm sorry but you're gonna have to be courageous at this point or if not, just be quiet so we can get out of here, is that clear?"

The humans nodded and the Doctor shot Jeremy an exasperated glance before they continued. They heard another loud boom but to his relief, the humans said nothing this time. They turned a corner and stopped when they saw an unconscious Diablon lying in the cooridor, blood trickling from a gaping wound on his right temple. The Doctor looked at Jeremy.

"Find one, did you?" he said while his other companions chuckled softly.

"Um…yeah," Jeremy said.

They stepped over the unconscious alien and hurried on.

John Smith winced when Pepa narrowly avoided a laser bolt. The Diablons finally got to their weapons systems and were now returning fire while they tried to bring the ship down.

"Cutting it a bit close, are you?" John Smith said to Pepa.

"I can't do much until I know exactly where the rest of our friends are," Pepa said to him. "I can't risk bombing the main compound or I might hit them."

"Then I need to take my TARDIS and go and get them," John Smith said. "Anyone who wants to come with me can come. Just keep up the assault, Pepa and I'll go and find them and bring them back on the ship."

To his delight, everyone except Lila turned to follow him.

"Right then, you lot, let's go save the troops!" he said.

He started to head towards the TARDIS but Lila grabbed his hand.

"Wait, you are coming back, right?" she said.

"Hopefully. I'm planning on it," John Smith said.

To everyone's surprise, Lila kissed his lips.

"Please keep yourself safe and hurry back," she said, squeezing his hand.

Everyone looked at each other while John Smith stared at her in shock. He looked down at his hand in hers and suddenly realized why she kept following him. His heart warmed when she gave him another kiss and another squeeze of the hand before letting go. Everyone else snickered when they saw the delighted look on his face as he turned to go to the TARDIS.

"Hmmm…double wedding perhaps in future?" Paul said to John as they hurried to the TARDIS.

The Doctor stopped everyone at the corner of a corridor. The booms still echoed in the distance but for now they sounded far away. The Doctor figured Pepa was playing it safe and aiming away from the compound.

"Okay, I'm taking the TARDIS and coming down there to get you," the Doctor heard him say into his ear.

"Just be careful. The last thing I want is for the Diablons to get hold of it," the Doctor said in a loud whisper.

"Don't worry, I'll be careful," John Smith replied. "I'll see if the TARDIS can hone in on your location."

The Doctor barely heard the end of that because at that moment three Diablons came around the corner and both sides were surprised.

John Smith and the others heard the sounds of fighting in their ears as John Smith opened the TARDIS door and they all ran inside.

"Damn, here they go again," Jack said. "Get us down there fast so we can join in!"

"Trying, Jack," John Smith said, running to the console.

Paul winced when he suddenly heard Jane howling in pain followed by the Doctor and Bill's curses.

"Jane, love, what's wrong?" Paul said.

"Damn Diablon broke her bloody arm," Jeremy said to him, "I'm getting her to safety now."

John, who heard what he said, looked at Paul and saw how ashen he looked. Paul sprinted up to the console.

"We can go right to their location, right? Jane needs to get out of there," he said urgently.

"Yes, the TARDIS is scanning their artron energy signatures and she's going right to them," John Smith said. "As for her arm, we can fix that in med bay."

"You hear that, Jane, love?" Paul said. "Look for us."

"I'm sorry, I tried to punch one of them and he grabbed my arm and snapped it before I could get it away from him. I'm fine, otherwise."

Paul gritted his teeth, thoughts of revenge in his head. He felt a hand on his shoulder and saw John.

"She's fine, Paulie. They'll sort her arm out, don't fly off the handle and start killing everything in sight. You need a clear head before you end up beside her in the med bay…or worse."

Paul nodded. He took several deep breaths while John squeezed his shoulder.

"Anyway," John continued when he calmed down, "I'm the one with the anger problem, remember?"

The TARDIS landed and everyone rushed to the door. They heard the sounds of fighting outside the door and the startled yells of the Diablons followed by them screaming that the TARDIS was nearby.

"You may see it, mate, but you're not gonna get it," John Smith said before he threw open the door.

He held it open and stood there while the others ran out, bellowing at the top of their lungs while they joined in the fray. He was about to close it when he saw Jeremy run around the corner with Jane. John let them inside.

"Tend to her, mate, I'll handle this," John Smith yelled before he closed the door.

Jeremy led Jane back to the med bay while they listened to the sounds of fighting. She winced when she heard Paul's enraged yell in her ear.

"Please don't get yourself killed over this, Paul, please," she said softly.

"I think he'll be alright," Jeremy said as they walked. "He's just angry."

"Yeah, I noticed," Jane said dryly. "I just hope his anger doesn't get his head knocked off his shoulders."

They heard another scream of pain from John and heard Paul and George cursing.

"What's going on?" Jeremy said as Jane sat down on the examination table.

"John got shot in the stomach," the Doctor said. "We're trying to get everyone inside but for the moment, there are too many, we can't open the door safely."

"Jane, can you wait a moment, I'm gonna try to make a way for them to get inside here," Jeremy said.

She nodded and Jeremy nodded.

"I'll be back in a moment," he said over his shoulder as he ran out the door.

Jeremy ran to the armory. He ran inside and selected a blaster and grabbed a couple of wooden staffs. He told the TARDIS to make a shortcut to the console room and she obliged. He ran through the console room, stopped at the door and listened a moment to the sounds of struggle outside. He put the staffs down on the ground beside him, readied the blaster and opened the door. Before anyone could react, he shot several bolts over the Diablons' heads, startling them. He then shot at their feet and above their heads, pushing them back while George and Ringo got John inside the TARDIS. Still firing, Jeremy kept his eyes on the Diablons as he leaned over and grabbed the bo staffs. He threw them to the Doctor and the Doctor threw one to John Smith. Jeremy noticed the Diablon were fighting back, trying to come towards the open door. He yelled to the Doctor, threw him the blaster and quickly shut the door. In his ear, he heard the Doctor call to Jack and tell him to catch the blaster. He turned his attention back to the med bay. The entrance was still at the back door and he could see George, Ringo and Jane were clustered around John who was lying on the examination table. He instructed George and Ringo on what he needed and where it was and they rushed around, getting things for him while Jane sat down on a bed and waited her turn. George handed some surgical scissors to Jeremy and he cut open John's shirt, wincing at the burnt wound.

Meanwhile, the others were finally getting the upper hand. Jack kept firing the blaster around the Diablons' heads as well at their legs, wounding them when he got a clean shot. Some of the Diablons finally wised up and retreated and they quickly dispatched the others, knocking them out or wounding their legs. When all of them had been neutralized in some way, they stepped back towards the TARDIS, breathing heavily.

"We need to get a message to Mex, giving him a chance to surrender," the Doctor said to them. "We just can't blow this building up without issuing an ultimatum at least."

"Don't you think he would have surrendered by now, Doc," Jack said.

"Doctor, Jack, quit calling me "Doc"…and I know he probably won't surrender but I want to give him a chance before we blast the building into the ground," the Doctor said to him.

"He has to give them a choice, trust me, we've seen this before," Donna said while Martha nodded in agreement. "He nearly got himself killed by the Sontaran army before Rattigan went up in his place."

"It eases my conscience, okay?" the Doctor said to Donna, "The villains are the ones who blow up buildings without warnings. I'm not the villain. I don't fancy blowing them to smithereens and I want to give them a chance to surrender first. So sue me."

He snapped his fingers and everyone hurried inside. Paul rushed to the med bay and embraced his wife, giving her a kiss on the cheek before he turned his attention to John. Jeremy was rubbing a salve over the wound while John grimaced and groaned at the pressure of his fingers.

"Sorry, mate, trying not to hurt you," Jeremy said.

"S'alright, it hurt worse when the bastard shot me," John groaned.

"Is that cream fast acting?" Paul asked Jeremy, "because when I cracked my ribs during the car wreck, this woman called Angela rubbed some cream on my ribs and they healed instantly."

"Yes, this salve does the same thing. I'll use it on Jane's arm in a moment."

"Oh…you aren't gonna like this," Paul said. "For about thirty seconds, you both are gonna be in a world of pain."

"Yeah, I can feel the pain starting already," John groaned.

Everyone except the Doctor came into the med bay and watched. Martha asked Jeremy if he needed help and he smiled and shook his head.

"Nah, got it all under control, Mrs. Smith, thanks," he said to her.

He finished with John and moved over to Jane. He sat down beside her and asked where the pain was coming from. Jane pointed to the middle of her left arm and Jeremy very gently rubbed salve onto it. Paul stood up and walked back over to John who by now was past the pain and was breathing normally. The other Beatles came up beside him and let out sighs of relief when they saw his burnt flesh was healed and looked normal.

"Good job he had that, mate," Ringo said. "We already lost our Paul; we didn't need to lose you as well."

"Yeah, I thought for a moment, I was gonna see Paulie again," John said.

He glanced down at his stomach.

"One good thing about the ray guns, you don't bleed," he said, sitting up and feeling his formally charred flesh.

Paul heard Jane groaning and went back to her. He held her right hand while the salve healed her broken arm. While he watched her, he heard the wheezing of the TARDIS and guessed that they were leaving. A moment later, the Doctor came inside. He smiled when he saw John sitting up and Jane moving her newly mended arm around.

"Good, I'm glad you're both safe," he said to them. "Thank you, Jeremy, for doing that."

"Not a problem," Jeremy said, "but now what do we do?"

"I had the TARDIS scan the frequency for their tannoy system before leaving," the Doctor said. "Once we get back inside the ship, I'm gonna issue the warning that way. I have a feeling they'll try to escape via ships, at least the most important ones will. I also had the TARDIS scan their ships and disable their shields and she's gonna warn me if they try to take off. If they do, I'm gonna land on top of them the way I landed the TARDIS on top of Pepa's ship. Once inside, the TARDIS can take control of their systems and seal them inside as well as disarm them. They'll be trapped until we can take them somewhere. I'm hoping we deliver such a crushing blow that at the very least they'll think twice before invading Earth again. Right now, we're on Pepa's ship so I'm gonna tell him what's happening and then I'm gonna deliver the final ultimatum.


	48. Chapter 48

Chapter Forty Eight

The Doctor opened the door and gasped when Lila ran up and nearly knocked him over in her haste to get to John Smith. He gave his brother a bemused look when she gave him another kiss.

"I'm glad you're safe," she said.

Everyone behind him giggled while he turned a deep shade of crimson. The Doctor hurried over to the console. Pepa looked at him.

"Is it safe to fire on them now?" he asked him.

"Not quite. I need to give them one last warning before you open fire on the compound. I want to give them a chance."

"Chance to do what? Escape?"

"Not exactly, although that's what I want them to think," the Doctor said. "I'm gonna be in my TARDIS issuing the warning and I'll let you know when it's okay to fire on the main building."

Pepa nodded and the Doctor hurried back to the TARDIS. Everyone made room for him to enter and then followed behind him as he mounted the steps to his console. He walked over to his monitor and plugged a microphone into a hole near it. Everyone watched while he typed in a few commands and then he tapped the microphone with his finger a couple of times before he brought it to his lips.

"This is the Doctor," he said into it. "Attention Mex and all your little cronies. We have managed to escape your compound and we're about to blast it into rubble. However, in the interest of being fair, I will offer you and your mates a chance to surrender before that happens. If you wish to surrender yourselves, broadcast your surrender message to me and I will bring you on board my TARDIS with the promise that you will not be harmed. Ignore this message at your own peril. I give you fifteen minutes to give me your answer before we start the bombardment. Make your decision wisely, Diablons."

He finished up by giving him the frequency of the TARDIS's monitor, unplugged the microphone and stepped back to wait with the others.

"You really think they're gonna surrender?" Jack said to him.

"No, but like I said, I like to be fair and give people a chance," the Doctor said. "I'd rather just have them come on board and have done with it rather than just bomb them into submission."

The monitor flickered for a moment and then they saw Mex's angry face on the monitor.

"So, are you going to surrender?" the Doctor said.

"No Diablon will never submit to a Time Lord!" Mex roared at him. "I only used this frequency to tell you that you're days are numbered and you're the one who's about to be bombed into little ashes."

"So am I to understand that it will be self defense when we begin to bomb you and your people?" the Doctor said.

"You will not escape us! We will destroy you all!" Mex said.

"Paul, go and tell Pepa to open fire on the main building," the Doctor said to him.

Paul saluted with two fingers and ran to the stairs.

"You can't do this! You claim to be better than us and yet here you are killing people."

"I claim no such thing," the Doctor said. "I am the Oncoming Storm and in about two minutes you'll know why people call me that! Now if I were you, I'd get to your ships because your buildings are about to come down around your ears. Bye bye now!"

"You'll regret…"

Mex was cut off when the Doctor cut off the connection. They heard a loud boom and all of them followed the Doctor as he went down the stairs.

"TARDIS, monitor any ships trying to take off and take action if you find them," he said to his ship as he headed for the front door. "I want the captured and disabled."

The TARDIS grunted in reply and they went out the door. They walked up to the front and watched while Pepa blasted the main building with missles, making huge holes in the top and sides of it. While they watched, the Doctor scanned the horizon. He grinned when he saw a small silver ship suddenly rise up from behind the building. A few seconds later, he heard his ship wheezing and then they watched a moment later as the ship disappeared into the TARDIS in mid air. Once the ship was completely absorbed by the time ship, the TARDIS dematerialized and a few seconds later, they heard the wheezing again behind them.

"Hope that was Mex," the Doctor said to them.

"What will you do with them?" Mickey asked.

"Oh…take them somewhere nice and secure. A nice prison planet. I'll be merciful and let the survivors live. I already accused one man of genocide so it would be hypocritical of me to do the same," he said, putting his arm around Jeremy's shoulders. "But wherever they go, they will have a long time to sit and think about what happens when you cross a Time Lord."

They witnessed another ship rising into the air while Pepa continued to fire on the buildings. Once again, the TARDIS intercepted it, absorbed it and came back to the ship.

"I love my ship," the Doctor said with a happy sigh. "Hopefully this means the end of the Illuminati or at least they'll be weakened enough that no one will be threatened with death or mind control if they don't do their bidding. The Beatles can go back home, if they want to and this time I'm betting you'll have a long and happy career."

"What about us then?" John said. "I don't think there's any way we can go back to our universe and our Paul is still dead."

The Doctor considered that for a moment and then he had an idea.

"Bill, come with me before I forget. I wanna give you some medicine that will dissolve the genetic marker in your body and I want to ask my TARDIS to do something."

"But what if another ship comes up while we're in there?" Bill said, pointing back to the time ship.

"Don't worry; she won't let the captured ship land on top of us. I just want to make sure that marker is out of your body. Come with me."

The Doctor and Bill hurried back to the ship.

"I don't know if this'll work so I didn't want to say this in front of John, George and Ringo but after I'm through putting the antidote into your body, I'm going to ask the TARDIS to tap into Pepa's ship and use his interdimensional scanners to see if he can locate a universe where everyone died except for Paul. That way I can pair them off with this alternate universe Paul and make the band whole again."

"I hope you can do that," Bill said as they walked back to the med bay.

"So can I. They need a Paul and our Paul can't do it. He has his own set of Beatles," the Doctor said. "I don't want them to be devastated if we have to leave them and Paul leaves them behind. Especially John since he witnessed his Paul's death. I don't want him or anyone else to slip back into despair and drug use. There are millions upon millions of universes out there, there's got to be one where only Paul survived or at the very least, I could find someone like you who will fill in but not be a tyrant like their William was. Just as long as they can keep their band going, that's all I'm concerned about."

They entered the med bay. The Doctor had Bill sit on the examination table while he went over to a cabinet on the right side of the room. While he was preparing a milky liquid and putting it in a syringe, they heard the TARDIS wheezing.

"That's three…we're gonna be quite full," the Doctor said aloud as he filled the syringe.

"Where is she putting them?" Bill asked.

"Not sure. But it's somewhere where they can't escape, I know that much," the Doctor said. "When I'm ready for them, she'll show me where they are."

He turned and walked over to Bill. He rolled up his sleeve and the Doctor injected the serum into his arm.

"There we are, in a few hours, you should be completely free of the genetic marker which means you'll be a free man at last."

"Thank God," Bill said.

The Doctor patted him on the shoulder before he went to dispose of the syringe. Bill hopped up and followed him back to the console room. The Doctor asked the TARDIS to search the alternate universes for another Paul while he typed in some commands into the computer. Once that was finished, he opened the door and peeked out. He noticed they were still inside the ship so he and Bill came outside.

"So no more marker thing?" Jane asked.

"Yup, in a couple of hours that genetic marker will be completely erased from his body," he said while Jane hugged Bill. "How we doin' out here? I heard we got another one."

"Yup," Jack said. "Captured a third. And we pretty much reduced the main building to rubble and we're working on the outlying buildings now. I think they got the message now to mess with you now."

"Good, I hope so," the Doctor said. "Hold fire though, I wanna broadcast another message to ram home the point. We can't stay here all day and do this, it'll take too long. I have a feeling we have their supreme leader, that'll at least slow them down for awhile."

Pepa stopped firing and waited while the Doctor ran back into his ship. He plugged the microphone back in.

"This is the Doctor," he said. "We have just fired on your city. Those of you who are left, consider this your warning. If you try to attack Earth or any other planet besides your own, I will find out about it and next time I will turn your planet into a flaming fireball. If you don't believe me, then I dare you to invade Earth again and then we'll find out how long your planet lasts after that. Consider this your first and only warning, Diablons, because believe me, I will make what my ancestors did to your kind look like nothing!"

He unplugged the microphone and walked back to Pepa's console.

"Okay, I think we've taught them a lesson, let's return the humans to Pepperland," he said to his friend.

"With pleasure," Pepa replied as he flew the ship away from the planet's surface.

When they were back on top of the pyramid, the Doctor and the others forced Nanth and his friends into the ship. Keeping them inside the force field bubbles, they walked them back to the holding cells and put them inside. Everyone ignored their curses and threats and walked away with the aliens still screaming out threats of revenge. The next thing he did was gather up all the humans except for Lila who wanted to stay with John Smith and get them back down into the pyramid. Pepa led them back down while the Doctor checked his console. He grinned when he noticed the TARDIS had a couple of matches in his search for a lone Paul McCartney. He called everyone together and told them about his idea. John, George and Ringo looked at each other.

"So, what do you think? You need a Paul and we have several Pauls in other universes that needs the Beatles. Think you could adopt another Paul into your band?"

"I don't think that would be a problem," John said.

"Yeah, let's go help out one of these poor Paulies," Ringo said.

"Very well, we'll use Pepa's ship and go find one of these lonely Pauls," the Doctor said. "Now as for the rest of you, I'm assuming most of you are going back home except for Paul, Jane, Bill, Michelle…Rose and Jeremy, you stayin'?"

"I'd like to if you don't mind," Rose said.

"Same here," Jeremy replied.

The Doctor looked at John Smith.

"If you'd like, I could take you back with the Beatles and give you a chunk of TARDIS. I'm sure whichever universe they land up in could use a defender."

"I'd like that," John Smith said.

"Does that mean you'll come and visit us then?" George asked.

"If you like," John Smith replied.

"Can I come with you?"

Everyone giggled when Lila asked John Smith that and he grinned and nodded as he took her hand.

"I think I could use a companion," he said.

"Brilliant. First things first though, let's go drop off the Diablons and take William to a safe and secure mental institution for treatment. After that, we'll find one of these lone Pauls and give him the surprise of his life."


	49. Chapter 49

Chapter Forty Nine

The first thing the Doctor did after the humans were off the ship was to fly them to Aqua Vitae, a planet in his own universe that had a nice mental health facility. He was betting that this universe would have the same and he was relieved when he saw they had it. Bono Nali, which in the language of the Vitaens meant Healing Hands, was a modern looking glass and concrete structure nestled in the heart of a lush forest. A path led from the pavement up to the front door and there were concrete walls and a heavy iron gate that separated the forest from the rest of the city. Pepa hovered above the city while the Doctor and the others used the TARDIS to go down to the surface since it was smaller. Once they landed, everyone came outside, leaving William for the moment asleep on the chair by the console. On the wall beside the gate was a small black intercom box. The Doctor pressed a button under the speaker and a moment later a voice asked who it was.

"Hi, I'm the Doctor and I have someone that needs treatment," the Doctor said into the speaker.

"Is this place secure enough?" Jane asked Paul

Paul looked at the walls that were nearly 30 feet high and the heavy iron gate.

"I think so. The Doctor said he knew about this place in the other universe so they probably will be able to keep William from escaping," he replied.

The gates opened and the Doctor told Jack to go get William. He rushed inside the TARDIS when the Doctor clicked his fingers and quickly grabbed him. He ran back out and stopped short when the Doctor clicked his fingers and the door closed again.

"Hey, you never did that when I traveled with you," he said to the Doctor as everyone went through the gates.

"I didn't realize I could do it until I was at this place called The Library."

"River told him he could do it," Donna said. "I was there when he first tried it."

"River who?"

"River Song, his future wife," Amy said to him.

Jack did a double take while Donna looked over her shoulder at Amy.

"He told you about her?"

"I met her. She helped us out a couple of times," Amy said as they walked up the path to the front entrance.

Donna gave the Doctor a questioning look.

"Tell you about it when we get back inside the TARDIS. I met her again about a year after I left you behind," he said to her. "Actually, I'm glad you reminded me because it seems there's more than meets the eye when it comes to her."

They reached the front door. There was a security camera aimed at the entrance and they heard someone buzzing them in. The Doctor opened the door and held it open for his companions. Once they were inside, he went in and shut the door behind him.

The interior was spotless with pink marble floors and walls that was made of a shiny alien metal that gleamed in the light of the dome lights on the ceilings. Everyone stopped short when a three foot robot came out of a metal door that slid up on the left side of the wall in front of them. The robot was black and resembled a tiny Dalek with robot arms instead of a plunger and a blaster. Instead of the eyestalk, the purple eye was mounted directly in the dome and the dome was able to go up and down as well as left and right. The robot stopped in front of the Doctor and looked up at him.

"Someone is here for treatment?" he said to him.

The Doctor pointed to William, still in Jack's arms.

"Follow me," the robot said.

They followed him down the hallway to a waiting room. The robot told them to wait inside and he glided off while they went in. The room was large with chairs and sofas that had red velvet cushions and several wooden tables that had magazines, flowers and lamps on them. A holo-television was tuned to the news and John, George and Ringo walked over to it, staring in amazement at the 3D image while Rose and Martha helped Jack sit William down in a chair. Above them muzac played softly through a speaker mounted in the ceiling. Paul frowned when he finally listened to the tune and then realized it was the instrumental version of Fool on the Hill. He was shocked by that and snapped his fingers at the Doctor, getting his attention. The Doctor chuckled when Paul told him about it.

"My friend, the Beatles are one of the most popular bands on planet Earth. It was only a matter of time before visiting aliens heard your music and took it back to other planets. You have no idea just how popular your little band really is, do you?"

He patted his shoulder when Paul beamed at that. Paul called the other Beatles over and told them what the Doctor said when they heard the musak.

"Whoa, you weren't kidding when you said we'd go to the toppermost of the poppermost," George said.

"Yup, the poppermost of the entire universe apparently," John said. "Let the Rolling Stones top that one! What is this song though? I don't recognize it."

"Fool on the Hill. It's on the album after Sergeant Pepper," Paul said.

"Be a lot better if it were the actual song and not bloody muzak. Still, at least it's one of ours," John said.

The robot came back in with two humans. Two women who were wearing skin tight white cat suits. Amy giggled when all of the Beatles eyed them appreciatively. The Doctor went up to them and spoke to them, pointing at William and describing what happened to him. After that, two male orderlies came with a gurney, they put William on it and put a blanket over him before strapping him down.

"Good riddance to bad rubbish," John muttered to George and Ringo. "Hope they lobotomize the bastard."

They walked back out and got back into the TARDIS, taking it back up into Pepa's ship. After that, the Doctor used the coordinates from one of the universes and programmed it into Pepa's computer while the others went back into the TARDIS. While they were waiting for the ship to cross the void, John Smith took Amy and Donna aside and filled Donna in about River while he and Donna helped explain to Amy what happened when they met River in The Library. The others drifted over to listen while they were talking. Amy's eyes bulged when he got to the part about River dying.

"So…he already knows what's going to happen to her in future?" Amy said.

John Smith nodded his head and Amy shook her head.

"She seems nice enough," Amy said. "I hate that she has to die like that."

"Yes, but there's something about her, something that doesn't seem quite so nice."

They all turned and saw the Doctor standing behind them.

"Sorry, just caught the tail end of your conversation and yes, it is tragic that River dies but like I said, I'm reserving judgment for the moment on just how nice she really is. But for now, we're in the other universe and I believe I located Paul. He's actually at the farm he brought outside Campbelltown, Scotland."

Bill blinked in surprise.

"Campbelltown?" he said.

Everyone laughed as the Doctor nodded and grinned.

"Don't know if Paul planned it like that but that's where his farm is. So now we're gonna be a bit sneaky and land right on his property."

John raised his hand.

"Yes, John," the Doctor said, pointing to him.

"Okay, how can you be sure this Paul won't come after us with a shotgun if we just land on his property."

"I'm not sure. But I'll bet he'll be willing to listen once he sees you three. Having said that, perhaps Paul should wait a moment before showing himself since I don't want your double dropping dead of a heart attack when he opens the door and sees himself standing there."

"And Paul wouldn't have a heart attack seeing his three dead bandmates standing there?" Clyde said.

"Good point, okay, all the Beatles wait in here and we'll come and get you when it's time, yeah? Everybody else, let's go visit Farmer Paul!"


	50. Chapter 50

Chapter Fifty

Paul rose early and made himself breakfast. His dog, Martha, stood beside him in his kitchen while he fried some eggs and bacon. He looked down at her and smiled as he rubbed her head. The past six months had been Hell on Earth for him. Ever since the death of his three best friends, his life had taken a tailspin and the only solution was to hide away on his newly purchased farm in Scotland. Away from London and EMI Studios, away from every close friend and associate, anyone who reminded him of his life as a Beatle. The farm was still very rundown; it needed a lot of work. The house, barns, sheds, fences, chicken coop, it all needed repair but Paul was looking forward to that. He figured if he threw himself into renovating his farm, it would give him something to do besides think about what happened to him six months ago.

He froze when he heard someone knocking on his door. He turned and looked across the room at it.

"What the fuck?" he muttered as he put his spatula on the counter beside the stove. "This better not be a fucking fan wanting an autograph."

He walked over, opened the door and stared at the crowd of people in front of him. He did a quick onceover and saw only three teenagers in the group, the rest of them were in their twenties or older. He sighed angrily.

"Look, whoever you are, you're trespassing on my property and if you don't go back the way you came, I'm gonna ring the police!"

The Doctor stared at Paul and felt a twinge of sadness. The man before him was gaunt; pale with a beard that resembled the one Bill wore during the Let It Be sessions. His eyes had dark circles under him and he looked tired and haggard. It was a stark contrast to the Paul he had been traveling with for the past few weeks. Martha came up beside Paul as he folded his arms over his chest.

"Well, are you gonna leave voluntarily or am I gonna have to call the police?" he asked them.

"Just hear us out, Paul, we can help you," the Doctor said to him.

"Yeah? How? Can you give me back my murdered band mates?"

"Yes," the Doctor said.

Jeremy winced when Paul give him a murderous look and he figured his brother was seconds away from being knocked on his ass. He came up beside him and held up his hands.

"I know it sounds like we're having you on but…"

"Jane?"

Paul finally noticed Jane who was standing behind Rose and Amy. Jane quickly came up to the front while Jeremy and the Doctor parted so she could speak to him.

"Jane, what the hell's going on? Who are all these people? Is this some sort of joke?"

"No, Paul," she said, her eyes misting over at the condition he was in. "If you'll just hear us out, we can help you."

Paul gave everyone a dubious look but with a sigh he nodded and let them all inside. The interior was very rustic with minimal decoration on the walls. The wallpaper was white with flowers on it but it was peeling in some spots, showing the wooden wall underneath. The smell of the eggs and bacon permeated the air and a few stomachs growled while Paul went back to his food and turned his eggs and bacon.

"Okay, what do you have to tell me?" he said, glancing over his shoulder while he cooked.

Paul listened while Jane tried to explain but halfway through, he held up his hand just as he finished putting his food on the plate.

"Stop, Jane, this isn't funny," he said, whirling around. "If this is some sort of sick joke, I'm not amused! I don't find the whole I'm from another universe and we brought you alternate universe versions of your friends funny in the least. I think it's incredibly cruel and heartless. Now please leave and take your…showbusiness friends with you!"

"Paul, wait, hear me out," Jane said, rushing over to him. "We have proof. We have John, George and Ringo as well as the Paul from the other universe. It's no joke, I swear."

"So you hired lookalikes to impersonate them?"

"No!" Jane yelled.

Paul was taken aback and the Doctor sighed when he saw the pain in his eyes. He excused himself and hurried out the door. He went back to the TARDIS and opened the door. The Beatles were sitting on the steps in the console room chatting. They looked at the Doctor as he came inside and shut the door.

"Well?" Ringo said.

"It's not going good at the moment. The other Paul looks like he's been through Hell and he doesn't believe us. Jane's trying to explain everything and he thinks it's a sick joke and now he thinks you lot are most likely impersonators she hired."

"He hasn't stopped to think that Jane wouldn't be so cruel she'd do something like that?" Paul asked.

"Apparently not. I think grief has consumed him."

"I know just how he feels," John said.

"I don't know if this will work. We may have to go to another universe and try another Paul, but I'm going to show him you lot and see if he will believe before giving up, so be prepared for a very angry, distraught, gaunt, hirsute Paul."

He opened the door and nodded to them. The Beatles stood up, came down the steps and followed him out. They froze when they saw the rundown farm.

"Christ, he lives here? I wouldn't let a dog live here," John said as he noticed a broken down, rotting barn and the rundown farmhouse.

"Apparently, he got it for cheap as a fixer-upper," Ringo said as they followed the Doctor.

"Sod the fixer-upper," George said. "I'd dynamite the place and start over."

The Doctor stopped them behind a shed and told them to wait a moment before he continued on to the farmhouse. The Beatles winced when they heard Paul inside the farmhouse yelling at Jane to get out.

"I'm beginning to think we may have to go somewhere else," John said. "And quickly before Paulie really does grab a shotgun."

Paul peeked around the corner and saw the Doctor going inside the farmhouse, telling the other Paul to calm down while he shut the door. He sighed and turned back to his friends.

"I don't fancy meeting my other self if he's gonna rant and rave at us," Paul said to them.

"Yeah, well, wouldn't you do the same thing if you lost your three best friends and someone comes along and says he has three copies from another universe. It does sound bonkers, yeah?" John said.

They stiffened when they heard the door opening up.

"Alright, where are they then?" they heard Paul say.

Paul turned around and stood with the other Beatles. The Doctor was around the corner first and nodded at them a few seconds before the other Paul came around. He froze and stared at them in shock. Then Jane came up beside him while the others hung back. The alternate Paul stared at himself.

"How can this be?" the alternate Paul said, shaking his head. "This can't be real. It has to be makeup, four people wearing really good disguises. It has to be some sort of joke."

"It's not a joke, mate," Paul said to him. "You know Jane; would she ever do something like this as a joke?"

"No, she…wouldn't…but…it can't be…you can't be from another universe," alternate Paul said.

John smiled and walked up to him. Paul slowly raised his hand up and touched his face.

"Johnny?" he said, his eyes misting over.

"Paulie, it's true," John said. "The Doctor brought us here because in our universe our Paul was murdered. You lost your bandmates and we lost ours and the Doctor thought perhaps we could merge together and make ourselves whole again."

Alternate Paul was speechless.

"We're only trying to help you, Paul," Jane said, laying a hand on alternate Paul's arm. "They left their universe but I don't think we can find the one they came from and I don't think they wanna go back now anyway since they lost not only their Paul but their Brian as well. You need them and they need you so we decided to come here and give them a home."

"We can help heal each other, Paulie," John said to alternate Paul, "We would go with this Paul, but the Doctor saved him from death and he has his Beatles and it wouldn't be fair for us to ask him to go with us when his Beatles are still alive."

Alternate Paul gazed at his double.

"You were kidnapped as well?" he asked.

"I was, is that what happened to you?" Paul said.

"Yeah. Um…well, you probably know what happened," alternate Paul said to him.

"Actually, our stories might be different. Some of the universes are the same but some have differences and the way their Paul was killed is different from what happened to me. What happened to you?"

"Um…well, come back inside, I was having breakfast and perhaps I need to sit down," alternate Paul said.

He beckoned to everyone and they all followed him back inside. Paul sat down and Jane gave him his food and she finished making tea for him while everyone stood in the kitchen around the table. Paul smiled as his double's Martha came up to him and wagged his tail. He rubbed her head and back while she licked his arm. Jane finished the tea and poured him a cup. Paul smiled and thanked her and she kissed his cheek before she started making some more for everyone else.

"Well…" alternate Paul said with a sigh, "in your universe did they have the Illuminati."

Paul snorted and nodded.

"Um…you'll have to bear with me, this will be hard to talk about," alternate Paul said.

"Just take your time, Paul," the Doctor said gently.

"Well…it started out as just a few men coming to EMI studios demanding we do what they wanted and play songs they had written. Did that happen to you as well?"

"It did," Paul said while the Beatles nodded in agreement. "They badgered George Martin and he kept refusing to do what they wanted so eventually they tried to kill me and replace me with Bill here."

Alternate Paul looked at Bill when Paul pointed to him.

"Which also happened to us," John added. "Except our William was too far gone and he ended up being a dictatorial tyrant. Bill here was rescued in time so he's a decent bloke."

"Funny, they never mentioned an impersonator but then again, I was a hostage so I'm sure they only had me on a need to know basis."

"Did they try to run you off the road when you were driving?" Paul asked.

"Um…no, they came to my house and kidnapped me," alternate Paul said. "One of the reasons I came here…besides the need to get away from London and all the memories there. They came round one night after I got done at the studio. They waited till I was asleep, broke in and grabbed me. They made me get dressed at gunpoint, threw a hood over my head and drove me somewhere out of London. For about a fortnight or so, I'm not sure how long it was even now, they held me hostage in a windowless room while they threatened my band mates to comply with their demands or else I would die. They said nothing about bringing someone like Bill into the band although I s'pose that could have been part of it. I'm not sure exactly what all the demands were, just that they wanted the rest of the band and George Martin and Brian to do what they wanted…or else. For the time that I was there, I was beaten, fed very little, humiliated and kept awake until I literally passed out from lack of sleep."

He paused while Jane made tea for those who wanted it. He smiled when Jane kissed his cheek and squeezed his shoulder while passing him with a tea cup for Jack. When she was done, he accepted another cup of tea from her and then continued.

"Um…anyway, I was kept abreast of what was going on from my captors who supposedly had put a 10 million pound ransom on my head. They had spies at EMI, a couple of the techs there worked for them so they knew what was going on and they would taunt me saying, oh, they're still working with Scotland Yard on a rescue attempt because they won't pay the 10 million, apparently you're not worth it and other shite like that. They kept me updated every day and then one day, they didn't come in at all with any food, information or to change my chamber pot. Then the next day it was the same thing. I started to think that they were gonna let me starve to death. Then on the third day, the main bloke that was holding me captive came in, ordered me to stand up and tied my hands behind my back. They put the hood over my head and walked me through the building…"

He paused and swallowed hard. Jane, who had taken a seat next to him, put her hand on his shoulder when he saw tears coming down his cheeks. Everyone waited while he took a couple of sips of tea and got himself under control enough to continue.

"Sorry, um…what happened next is vividly etched in my mind and it will be till the day I die. Um…I found out that in those two days that no one came to see me that my mates had took it upon themselves to rescue me. Must have had someone at Scotland Yard who sussed out my location or something, I don't know, but somehow they found me and tried to find me inside the building and were captured. They basically beat and tortured them and when they pulled the hood off my head I was standing behind a one way mirror looking into a large room and at the back the three of them were tied to large posts with firewood around their feet and legs.

Everyone stared at him in silent horror while alternate Paul picked up his cup with a trembling hand and took another sip.

"As…as you can imagine, they…well, they made good use of the firewood and I was forced to watch and listen to their screams while it happened."

"Jesus," Rose muttered while everyone else was shocked into silence.

"They made me stay until the flames consumed them from head to toe. By that time, I was nearly insane with grief and rage. Then one of the bigger, burlier chaps hit me on the head and knocked me out. They must have kept me sedated after that because the next thing I knew I woke up in hospital. According to Brian, they phoned him and told him where I was and basically dumped my body out on a hill in the middle of the countryside. As for my mates, they put their remains in little shoeboxes and tied the shoeboxes neatly with string and put them beside me. They left a note saying that they had no more use for us since they were forced to destroy 3/4ths of the band and all of us were free to go about our lives. After that, they tried to make me go to therapy but I didn't want help, I just wanted to get away so I told Brian and George and Jane and all my friends goodbye and not to call me, I would call them and I took Martha and came here. That was six months ago and my life has been sheer hell since. I haven't had much contact with anyone and I saw that the press is speculating whether or not I've been murdered and frankly, I really don't care if people think me alive or dead. I feel dead inside anyway. I haven't been able to sleep much as you might have guessed. Nightmares and all and I have to take valium just to get through the night. When you first knocked, I figured you were fans trying to get my autograph. I know that our fans are probably concerned about me, but again, I don't care right now. I just want to be left alone."

"Then let me ask you this," the Doctor said to him. "Because this is entirely up to you. We came here to try to reunite you with your band mates since they need a Paul and you need them. But if you don't want to start the Beatles back up again, if you want to live here in peace, we'll go somewhere else and see if another Paul wants them."

"Jesus, Doctor, you make us sound like stray puppies," George said.

Alternate Paul burst out laughing at that which made everyone smile.

"Actually, that's exactly what it sounds like. You're a bunch of stray dogs in need of a home," he said. "Your Paul, he died in a car crash then?"

"Not exactly," John said. "He was in a car with Brian and they forced him off a road into a tree, Brian was killed instantly but our Paul was thrown from the car and injured. They took him to a shack in the woods and were gonna kill him. Our Paulie tried to make a break for it and they shot him in the shoulder and then shot him through the head. Then they went and got me and made me watch him die so I also had to go through the pain of watching a band mate die."

"Jesus," alternate Paul said. "So then how do you feel about this? Do you want to start over after losing your Paul?"

"At first I would have said no," John said. "But after traveling with Paul here and having adventures, I've basically been pulled out of the depression I was in and I wouldn't mind going back to being a band."

"Yeah, you haven't lived until you've been chased by a bunch of demonic looking aliens," Ringo said.

Paul noticed his counterpart's confusion.

"I take it you didn't see the Diablons then, just their lackeys."

"No, I didn't see any demonic looking aliens," he said to him.

"They may not have been in this reality, mind," Jeremy said. "The Illuminati could have just been evil men here."

"Demon aliens? Now I really am intrigued," alternate Paul said.

"So how 'bout it? Wanna give it a go?" John asked.

Alternate Paul thought about that.

"I don't know, if we start again, the Illuminati might come back for us a second time," he said.

Paul snorted.

"I'd count on that if I were you, mate," he said.

"Then what do we do? I don't wanna start up the Beatles again only to lose another set of friends or even my own life."

The Doctor began to pace back and forth, thinking about what to do for them.

"Hey, what about taking them back with us? Perhaps my Beatles will stay in the future and they can take our place if the Diablons have been defeated."

The Doctor stopped and smiled as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

"That might work, actually," he said. "That way no one would be none the wiser that you lot have disappeared. I'll have to check the time lines but…now, if I did this, would you like your Jane to come with you? Because I believe that George Martin and Brian are still there, yeah?"

"As far as I know they are and Mike is there as well, he didn't want to go with us so you wouldn't have to bring your brother along. You could bring along your dad though since mine is in the future but see, if you lot went back to the '60's and make the switch with us, no one would know and you'd be safe since we got just done trying to get rid of the Diablons who were behind the Illuminati in my universe."

"This is daft but I'm actually wanting to do it," alternate Paul said. "It would be funny to make the switch and not have anyone know about it."

"And," Jack said, "since you quit being a Beatle here, your Brian and George Martin wouldn't wonder about you when you didn't show up for work."

"Yeah, but I should tell them something," alternate Paul said.

"Like what? That you went to another universe?" John said. "Just let them think that you swanned off somewhere and vanished. Leave a note here that says something like I'm sorry, I need to live a life away from the public eye and away from my old friends and family. I'll be safe so don't worry about me and leave it at that. They'll think you immigrated to Rio and lived out your life there incognito. We left all our friends and family behind when we followed this lot. You'll be in another universe keeping busy so you won't have time to worry about what happens here, just go get Jane and your dad and take them with you…and Martha, of course," he added, when Martha came up beside him.

Alternate Paul thought about it and then nodded.

"Alright, you lot talked me into it," he said while everyone cheered and Jane gave him a hug.

"Right, then you'll have to come with us because I need to go back to my universe for my ship to access the time line and check to see if the Diablon are still around in the twentieth century. And…if you'd like, while you're in there, I can put you into a deep sleep, Paul. A deep, dreamless restorative sleep. I can also remove the memory of watching your friends burn alive so even though you'd remember what happened, you wouldn't remember that specific memory and be tormented by it."

"You can do that?" alternate Paul said.

John chuckled and put his hand on his shoulder.

"Mate, you're gonna find out that this chap here is a miracle worker," he said.


	51. Chapter 51

Chapter Fifty One

Alternate Paul nearly had a heart attack when he entered the TARDIS with Martha and looked around. Martha began to sniff the floor while Alternate Paul stood and stared with his mouth hanging open. The others stood nearby and watched him for a moment and then the Doctor walked up to him.

"This ship is in another dimension, well…most of it anyway, the door back there is in your dimension which is why it can be bigger on the inside. It may look huge but it's got all the comforts of home and then some. I can make you comfortable. The TARDIS can give you your own room to use if you want to relax and sleep. But first, do you want to go get your dad and Jane?"

Alternate Paul nodded. He watched while the Doctor dashed up the steps and set the coordinates for London. He walked over to the steps and gazed up at him while he started up the TARDIS. Paul walked up to his duplicate and alternate Paul looked at him.

"You travel with this man?" he said to Paul.

"I do and I enjoy it," Paul replied. "He's a top bloke, I'd trust him with my life and everyone else in here does as well."

"Can you give me your Jane and Dad's addresses, Paul?" the Doctor said to alternate Paul. "I need to enter it in my computer so we can go straight to their houses."

Alternate Paul climbed the steps and gave him the addresses. John looked at Ringo and George and they climbed the steps. While alternate Paul talked to the Doctor, they surrounded him. They waited till they finished talking and then they embraced alternate Paul. Alternate Paul hesitated for a moment and then hugged them back. Everyone smiled when they stood there in a group hug, eyes closed while they hugged and silently cried. The Doctor smiled, knowing that this was another moment when he managed to make a major difference in people's lives and bring them healing and happiness. It was those moments that he truly lived for. He was glad he was able to bring the Beatles together again and heal another version of the band.

It took a lot of explaining on alternate Paul's part to convince his Jane and father that he hadn't snapped from losing his friends and was rambling on about time traveling space aliens. But in the end when he showed them the TARDIS, the Doctor and the other Beatles and Jane and told them that he was making the decision to go to another universe, they finally decided to come with him. Paul and Jane tried to be gracious to the alternate versions of Jim and Jane but they could tell they were freaked out and they ended up spending time in the kitchen, sipping tea and chatting while they went back to Pepa's ship so they could go back to the other universe. The other Beatles, Jim and alternate Jane went back to a spare bedroom with the Doctor and alternate Paul so they could rest with him. The TARDIS made four beds for them and they watched while the Doctor sat with alternate Paul for a moment.

"I can't thank you enough," alternate Paul said to him. "I know I was rude to you at first and I regret now trying to tell you to fuck off because I could have missed out on this."

"There's nothing to be sorry for, you had a perfectly normal reaction," the Doctor said. "But I am glad that you decided to give us a chance to explain. For the moment though, why don't you let me put you to sleep so you can get some rest and I'll take out the memory of your friends being burned alive."

Alternate Paul smiled and hugged him. The Doctor hugged him tightly while everyone smiled.

"Thank you, mysterious alien man," alternate Paul said.

The Doctor chuckled.

"My pleasure, hairy McCartney who needs a shave."

"Yeah, I do, don't I?" he said, stroking his beard while everyone laughed. "I will definitely take care of that before I leave here."

"My TARDIS will supply you with anything you need. For now though, just rest and don't worry about anything."

Alternate Paul nodded. He lay back in bed and the Doctor put his fingertips against his temples. He put alternate Paul to sleep and then he went into his memories. He found the horrifying memory of the Beatles being burned alive and he winced when he witnessed John, George and Ringo writhing in agony as the flames consumed their bodies. He took that memory out and a few others, allowing Paul to know what happened but having no ability to recall the memories. He hoped that and the presence of the other Beatles would help to heal his shattered spirit and mind. He stood up and was going to pull the covers up when alternate Jane walked over.

"Wait, I want to lay with him," she said.

To her surprise, the bed instantly widened to a double bed. She marveled at that for a moment before she lay down. The Doctor helped her pull the covers up over both their bodies while the other Beatles got into their beds. The Doctor looked at Jim.

"Would you like to lie down? My ship can provide another bed for you."

"No, I'd like to stay awake if you don't mind. I had a nap earlier."

The Doctor nodded. He wished everyone goodnight and the Doctor pointed out the adjoining bathroom to the Beatles and alternate Jane before he turned off the light. He and Jim left and shut the door behind them. They walked to the kitchen where the others had joined Paul and Jane. Paul smiled at Jim and pointed to Martha who was sitting by his feet.

"I think your son's dog is confused," he said.

"She's not the only one who's feeling confused," Jim said as he accepted a cup of tea from Sarah Jane. "I'm still finding this hard to believe. You say we're going to a completely different universe?"

"Yes, I'm going to check but I believe this Paul's original universe is free of Diablon which means your son can resume being a Beatle without fear of being kidnapped and killed. This Paul's father and Jane and her family are all in the future with his Beatles, so you can have his house and Jane can move into her parent's home."

"Her parents aren't coming with her?" Jim asked.

"They're not alive. They died in a car crash when she was nineteen and she's been on her own, living in a flat and making ends meet. His Jane had a brother called Peter but your Jane didn't. Sometimes universes have differences between them. Like I said, his Jane's parents are in the future now, so she's actually inheriting a house."

"And you're going back to the future with your band?" Jim asked Paul.

"Eventually. Bill, my Jane, Bill's girlfriend Michelle and I are traveling with the Doctor, Amy, Rory, Jeremy and Rose. I'll go back eventually but at the moment I enjoy doing this."

Jim looked at the others.

"And you also enjoy traveling with the Doctor?" he asked them.

"Are you kidding? It's ace!" Clyde said.

"Yeah, I'd love to travel full time," Rani said.

"Except they have school and I'm a journalist in addition to being a protector of Earth," Sarah Jane said.

"And I have a team I need to get back to," Jack said. "And Mickey and Martha have a team they need to get back to also."

He gave them a meaningful look.

"Forget that freelance nonsense; come work for Torchwood, we have some openings since…some of our team members died."

"What'd ya think?" Martha asked her husband.

"Sounds good to me, I'd rather work with a team anyway," Mickey replied.

"And what about you, Donna? Going back or staying with me?" the Doctor said to her.

"First off, if I stay with you, you will get rid of the tweed," Donna said, poking his chest.

"I'm sorry?" he said as everyone laughed.

"And the bow tie, you look naff. I want you to dress elegantly if I'm going to be traveling with you."

"Bye, Donna," the Doctor said, waving.

"I won't have you embarrassing me."

"Bye, Donna," the Doctor said, waving while everyone laughed.

"I mean, bow tie? What were you thinking?"

"Bye…Donna!" the Doctor said, trying to turn her around so she would face the others.

Donna chuckled and punched his shoulder playfully.

"I'm only having you on, ya big space git," she said to him.

Everyone chuckled when the Doctor blushed at that.

"See, he takes everything way too seriously," Donna said. "Good thing I'm back so I can keep him from being too melodramatic."

They laughed when the Doctor stared at her in shock. Donna winked at him and kissed his cheek.

After they had tea, the Doctor took the next step and chose Media as the ideal prison planet. It was in a distant part of the universe, far from any planets. It was basically a barren meteorite and the most dangerous criminals were sent there. They were housed far below the surface, living like moles and being forced to dig tunnels and rooms so they could keep expanding the prison for more prisoners. The prison had never lost a prisoner and they took pride in that. The Doctor took the TARDIS back on to Pepa's ship and he flew back to the Doctor's original universe. Once he was there, the Doctor and the others bid him goodbye since they had no more need of him and his ship.

"Take care of yourself and the new humans, let them be fruitful and multiply," the Doctor said to Pepa.

"I will. I will definitely take care of them. And thank you for stopping the invasion, Doctor. You saved the human race."

"Hopefully. I hope by the time we get back to the present day, the Diablon will be gone," the Doctor said.

Everyone hugged him goodbye before they got back inside the TARDIS. Pepa watched them dematerialize before he headed back to his ship. The Doctor took the TARDIS into the vortex. Once he was there, he checked the time line. As he was doing that, he called John Smith over to him.

"Change of plans, I s'pose, since the Beatles are going to our universe so what would you like to do?" he asked him.

"I've been thinking it over and I'd like to stay in London in their time for a bit just in case the Diablon do rear their ugly heads. Lila and me can stay there while the TARDIS coral grows and then I can help defend the Earth."

The Doctor nodded.

"Splendid idea. Although…according to this, the Diablon never got a foothold on Earth and they're gone by the time it gets to the 1960's. But that doesn't mean you can't safeguard Earth against other threats. You know there's always something that's threatening Earth."

"Tell me about it," John Smith said, rolling his eyes.

"I'm setting a course for 1960's London then. Earth is about to get a brand new set of Beatles," the Doctor said, inputting the coordinates into the computer.

He went and told the others and all of them went and woke up the Beatles and Jane. When the Doctor told them they could settle in 1967 London, they were all thrilled.

"I better get ready then," alternate Paul said, heading for the bathroom.

While he was shaving, John, George and Ringo came up to Paul and embraced him.

"It's been great traveling with you through time and space, mate," John said to him. "Please be careful though since we've seen just how dangerous this can get."

"I will, don't worry," Paul said. "You lot be careful and take care of Paul. Don't give the man a hard time."

"Are you implying something, McCartney?" John asked innocently.

Paul chuckled and hugged him and the other Beatles.

Everyone stepped outside when the Doctor landed in front of Paul's house in 1967 London. Paul, who had shaved and washed his hair, walked up and looked at it with alternate Jane at his side.

"This is mine?" alternate Paul said to his counterpart.

"Yup, you have it, I'll get one of my own in the future," Paul said. "Just take it easy and be careful."

"Don't worry, I've been given a second chance, I'm gonna make the most of it. I'm just glad you lot tried me first. I only hope these other Pauls in the other universes make it through because most days I didn't feel like taking another step or another breath. And as for you, my friend," he said to John Smith, "you and Lila can stay with me until you can find your own place."

"Thank you," John Smith said.

The Doctor walked up and gave him a small piece of coral.

"Remember what supergenius said in order to make it grow faster?" the Doctor said, hooking his thumb back at Donna.

"Oh yeah, thanks Donna, I'm glad you were able to think of a way to grow this coral faster."

"You're welcome. I don't quite understand what I said now but I'm glad I was able to help," Donna replied.

Everyone hugged the Beatles, John Smith, Lila, alternate Jane and Jim and they said goodbye to Martha. Then they stepped back and watched while the Doctor and his companions got back into the TARDIS and left them behind.

The next step after that was to take everyone home. He stopped off at Sarah Jane's house first. The teens hugged him and everyone else and left the TARDIS first but Sarah Jane held back and stood with the Doctor at the front door.

"I understand now why you said don't forget me," she said. "And I meant what I said when I told you that no one would ever forget you. I wish you would have told me about this prophecy but I'm glad you made it through and regenerated."

"Thanks, Sarah," the Doctor replied.

"And since you're in this universe, feel free to drop by whenever you like. I know the children will look forward to your next visit and so will I."

The Doctor smiled at that and gave her a hug. Sarah Jane felt her eyes mist over as she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek.

"Take care, Doctor," she whispered in his ear.

"You too, Sarah," he whispered back.

She touched his cheek one more time, waved to the others and stepped back as the Doctor went inside and closed the door behind him.

He then flew the TARDIS to Torchwood in Cardiff. He landed inside The Hub much to Gwen and Rhys's surprise. Gwen flew into Jack's arms when he stepped out with Mickey and Martha.

"Don't ever do that again!" Gwen said when she stepped back. "We were worried sick about you."

"I know but I had to get away for awhile to think things over. And I've decided to come back to the team and I've brought Mickey and Martha with me."

The Doctor and the others watched while Gwen embraced Martha and Mickey and Rhys told Jack how nice it was to have him back. Jack nodded at that and then looked at the Doctor.

"I also don't want you to be a stranger, you're welcome here anytime," Jack said.

"Yeah, please come and visit us," Martha said.

"Maybe we can even work together again," Mickey added.

"I'd love that," the Doctor said.

Everyone hugged one another and as before, the Torchwood team stepped back and watched while the TARDIS dematerialized and vanished.

"Right!" the Doctor said to his companions as he took the TARDIS into the vortex. No Diablon to chase for once so…what should we do?"

"Find something else to do?" Rose asked.

"Take a holiday," Jeremy replied.

"Ugh! A holiday?" the Doctor said, making a face.

"Yes, the Caribbean would be nice," Amy said.

"The Bahamas are nice. We went there to film Help, you know," Paul added.

"You people are wimps! A beach?" the Doctor said, feigning exasperation. "I thought we'd go slay a dragon or find buried treasure or save a town from a fiery volcano, that sort of thing. You wanna quit on me now?"

"Actually, the beach sounds nice," Bill said. "I bet Michelle's never seen one."

"Yeah! Michelle needs to see the beach," Amy said.

"So take us to the beach so we can show Michelle the beach," Rory added.

The Doctor burst out laughing.

"Alright, we'll go to the beach…for half a day and then it's off for more adventure. So everyone go change into your cozzies, Bahamas, here we come."

Everyone cheered and the Doctor smiled as his companions hurried out of the room. Once they were gone, he looked up at the ceiling.

"Actually, the beach does sound nice," he said. "So, Old Girl, take us to the most magnificent one you can find…but make sure you find a bit of danger too so it doesn't get too boring."

The TARDIS rumbled out laughter, nudged his mind and the rotor oscillated faster as she flew them to the destination she picked out.

THE END.


End file.
